A list of topics we covered in the week of February 24 to March 2 of 2025

March 3, 2025 - The UK's ICO has started an investgation into how TikTok and other platforms assess age information and compliance with the children’s code for online privacy.

February 27, 2025 - Malicious Google ads are redirecting PayPal users looking for assistance to fraudulent pay links embedding scammers' phone numbers.

February 27, 2025 - While countries and companies are fighting over access to encrypted files and chats, our data privacy may get crushed.

February 26, 2025 - Roblox and Discord are charged with the facilitation of child predators, and misleading parents into believing the platforms are safe to use for their children.

February 26, 2025 - The Android app SafetyCore was silently installed and looks at incoming and outgoing pictures to check their decency.

 A week in security (February 24 &#8211; March 2) 

Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia, Argentina, and Thailand have become the targets of a campaign that has infected Android TV devices with a botnet malware dubbed Vo1d.
The improved variant of Vo1d has been found to encompass 800,000 daily active IP addresses, with the botnet scaling a peak of 1,590,299 on January 19, 2025, spanning 226 countries. As of February 25, 2025, India has experienced a

Vo1d Botnet's Peak Surpasses 1.59M Infected Android TVs, Spanning 226 Countries

A 23-year-old Serbian youth activist had their Android phone targeted by a zero-day exploit developed by Cellebrite to unlock the device, according to a new report from Amnesty International.
"The Android phone of one student protester was exploited and unlocked by a sophisticated zero-day exploit chain targeting Android USB drivers, developed by Cellebrite," the international non-governmental

Amnesty Finds Cellebrite’s Zero-Day Used to Unlock Serbian Activist’s Android Phone

Malicious Google ads are redirecting PayPal users looking for assistance to fraudulent pay links embedding scammers' phone numbers.

We recently identified a new scam targeting PayPal customers with very convincing ads and pages. Crooks are abusing both Google and PayPal’s infrastructure in order to trick victims calling for assistance to speak with fraudsters instead.

Combining official-looking Google search ads with specially-crafted PayPal pay links, makes this scheme particularly dangerous on mobile devices due to their screen size limitation and likelihood of not having security software.

**Overview**

Scammers are creating ads impersonating PayPal from various advertiser accounts that may have been hacked. The ad displays the official website for PayPal, yet is completely fraudulent.

A weakness within Google’s policies for landing pages (also known as final URLs), allows anyone to impersonate popular websites so long as the landing page and display URL (the webpage shown in an ad) share the same domain.

The page victims are directed to has the following format:

paypal.com/ncp/payment/\[unique ID\]

This is PayPal’s “no-code checkout”, a feature for merchants to have a simple and yet secure option to take payments:

> Small businesses that want to accept payments online or in person can set up pay links, buttons, and QR codes to accept payments on the website. You don’t need a developer, coding knowledge, or a website to accept payments

Essentially, crooks are abusing this feature to create a bogus pay link. They can customize the page by creating various fields with text designed to trick users, such as promoting a fraudulent phone number as “PayPal Assistance”.

**Mobile experience**

Phones are the best medium for this type of scams due to the device’s constraints, but more than anything because that’s how victims will get in touch with bogus tech support agents.

In the screenshot below taken on an iPhone, we can see the top sponsored result from a Google search is impersonating PayPal. During our investigation, we often encountered more than one malicious ad, although they redirected to different kinds of pages, not abusing the same scheme.

Due to the reduced screen size, it would require scrolling past the ads and the AI Overview to see organic search results. This is not a coincidence of course, and is why search advertising is worth billions of dollars.

Screen size plays a factor again when users click on the ad and look at the browser’s address bar correctly identifying that the site is “**paypal.com**“. As we saw above, pay links are on the same domain as _paypal.com_, from which they inherit trust.

We did not follow-up with the provided phone number; however we believe it likely ends with victims handing over their personal information to scammers and getting fleeced.

**Conclusion**

Tech support scammers are like vultures circling above the most popular Google search terms, especially when it comes to any kind of online assistance or customer service.

We saw how easy it is to get an ad that mimics an official brand as long as the destination URL is on the same domain as the ad URL. The rest is just a matter of creativity on the part of scammers to forcefully inject their lure as spam, search queries, shopping lists, and more…

Whenever looking up an official phone number or website, it is safer to scroll past the ads and choose a more trusted organic link. There are also security solutions that can block ads and malicious links, such as Malwarebytes for mobile devices.

We have reported this campaign to Google and PayPal, but urge caution as new ads using the same trick are still appearing.

**We don’t just report on phone security—we provide it**

Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline. Keep threats off your mobile devices by downloading Malwarebytes for iOS, and Malwarebytes for Android today.

**Indicators of Compromise**

Archived example:

https://urlscan.io/result/3ea0654e-b446-4947-b926-b549624aa8b0

Malicious pay links:

hxxps\[://\]www\[.\]paypal\[.\]com/ncp/payment/8X7JHDGLK9Z46  
hxxps\[://\]www\[.\]paypal\[.\]com/ncp/payment/7QUEXNXR84X3L  
hxxps\[://\]www\[.\]paypal\[.\]com/ncp/payment/BHR4AMJAPWNZW  
hxxps\[://\]www\[.\]paypal\[.\]com/ncp/payment/FTJBPVUQFEJM6  
hxxps\[://\]www\[.\]paypal\[.\]com/ncp/payment/2X92RZVSG8MUJ  
hxxps\[://\]www\[.\]paypal\[.\]com/ncp/payment/D8X74WYAM3NJJ

Scammers’ phone numbers:

1-802\[-\]309-1950  
1-855\[-\]659-2102  
1-844\[-\]439-5160  
1-800\[-\]782-3849

 PayPal&#8217;s &#8220;no-code checkout&#8221; abused by scammers 

Cybersecurity researchers have discovered an updated version of an Android malware called TgToxic (aka ToxicPanda), indicating that the threat actors behind it are continuously making changes in response to public reporting.
"The modifications seen in the TgToxic payloads reflect the actors' ongoing surveillance of open source intelligence and demonstrate their commitment to enhancing the

New TgToxic Banking Trojan Variant Evolves with Anti-Analysis Upgrades

The Android app SafetyCore was silently installed and looks at incoming and outgoing pictures to check their decency.

Sometimes the updates we install to keep our devices safe do a little bit more than we might suspect at first glance. Take the October 2024 Android Security Bulletin.

It included a new service called Android System SafetyCore. If you can find a mention of that in the security bulletin, you’re a better reader then I am. It wasn’t until a few weeks later, when a Google security blog titled 5 new protections on Google Messages to help keep you safe revealed that one of the new protections was designed to introduce Sensitive Content Warnings for Google Messages.

Sensitive Content Warnings is an optional feature that blurs images that may contain nudity before viewing, and when an image that may contain nudity is about to be sent or forwarded, it will remind users of the risks of sending nude imagery and preventing accidental shares.

**Wait! What?**

Yes, there is now a service on my phone that checks whether your pictures are “decent enough” to send or share? I’m not oblivious to the many users that would be better off with such a service, but I’m not so sure they’d appreciate it.

However, what really concerned me is the fact that Google is looking at my incoming and outgoing pictures. I use end-to-end-encrypted (E2EE) messaging for a reason. The content is for me and the receiver, and no-one else, and that definitely includes Google.

But, again, no mention of SafetyCore in that blog or what will provide the Sensitive Content Warnings feature with the necessary data.

So, you can imagine the surprise and outrage when users found this service which doesn’t show up on the regular list of running applications that has permissions to do almost anything on the device.

And by looking up what this app called SafetyCore was all about, all of the above starts to make sense.

Google PlayStore says:

> “SafetyCore is a Google system service for Android 9+ devices. It provides the underlying technology for features like the upcoming Sensitive Content Warnings feature in Google Messages that helps users protect themselves when receiving potentially unwanted content. While SafetyCore started rolling out last year, the Sensitive Content Warnings feature in Google Messages is a separate, optional feature and will begin its gradual rollout in 2025. The processing for the Sensitive Content Warnings feature is done on-device and all of the images or specific results and warnings are private to the user.”

Google goes on to reassure:

*   The developer says that this app doesn’t collect or share any user data. 
*   The developer says that this app doesn’t share user data with other companies or organizations. 
*   The developer says that this app doesn’t collect user data.
*   The developer has committed to follow the Play Families policy for this app. 

Google promises that it only rates our pictures and does not collect or share them, but this feature has almost Artificial Intelligence (AI) written all over it. As we all know, an AI needs to be trained, and training an AI locally on your phone is hardly an option. I wish it had the necessary power, but it doesn’t.

I for one don’t see how the secretly installed service measures up to what the feature has to offer. But obviously everyone is entitled to their own opinion and the device is yours to do with as you please.

**How to uninstall or disable SafetyCore**

The good people at ZDNet provided instructions on how to get rid of SafetyCore or disable it if you would like to do so.

So, if you wish to uninstall or disable SafetyCore, take these steps:

1.  **Open Settings**: Go to your device’s Settings app
2.  **Access Apps**: Tap on ‘Apps’ or ‘Apps & Notifications’
3.  **Show System Apps**: Select ‘See all apps’ and then tap on the three-dot menu in the top-right corner to choose ‘Show system apps’
4.  **Locate SafetyCore**: Scroll through the list or search for ‘SafetyCore’ to find the app
5.  **Uninstall or Disable**: Tap on Android System SafetyCore, then select ‘Uninstall’ if available. If the uninstall option is grayed out, you may only be able to disable it
6.  **Manage Permissions**: If you choose not to uninstall the service, you can also check and try to revoke any SafetyCore permissions, especially internet access

Note: depending on the software version and manufacturer of your device, these instructions may be slightly off. I personally couldn’t test them because my Samsung has not received the October patch yet due to the patch gaps.

If you’d like to learn more about AI and encrypted messaging, we recommend listening to our podcast The new rules for AI and encrypted messaging, with Mallory Knodel (Lock and Code S06E01)

**We don’t just report on phone security—we provide it**

Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline. Keep threats off your mobile devices by downloading Malwarebytes for iOS, and Malwarebytes for Android today.

 Android happy to check your nudes before you forward them 

The stolen information included listed contacts, call logs, text messages, photos, and the device’s location.

A malicious app claiming to be a financial management tool has been downloaded 100,000 times from the Google Play Store. The app— known as “Finance Simplified”—belongs to the SpyLoan family which specializes in predatory lending.

Sometimes malware creators manage to get their apps listed in the official app store. This is a great benefit for them since it lends a sense of legitimacy to the app, and they don’t have to convince users to sideload the app from an unofficial site.

So, it gives them a much larger audience, they can lean on the trust we invest in the official app stores and users don’t have to do anything they might perceive as suspicious.

While Google has enhanced security measures in place—including AI-powered threat detection and real-time scanning— that are designed to detect and block malicious apps more effectively, the cat-and-mouse game between cybercriminals and security measures continues, with each side trying to outsmart the other.

In this case, the loan app evaded detection on Google Play, by loading a WebView to redirect users to an external website from where they could download the app hosted on an Amazon EC2 server.

Predatory lending is any lending practice where the borrower is taken advantage of by the lender. Predatory lenders impose lending terms that are unfair or abusive.

The apps in the SpyLoan family offer attractive loan terms with virtually no background checks. But when the apps are installed, they steal information from the victim’s device that can be used to blackmail the victim. Especially when they miss any payments on the loan.

Among the stolen information are listed contacts, call logs, text messages, photos, and the device’s location.

Although the app has now been removed from Google Play, it may continue to run on affected devices, collecting sensitive information in the background.

The researchers found that the app only targets users in India with the recommended loan applications and the redirect to an external website.

The information stolen from users could well be used for malicious purposes or sold to other cybercriminals.

Losing data related to a financial account can have severe consequences. If you find an app from this family or another information stealer on your device, there are a few guidelines to follow to limit the damage:

*   **Change your password.** You can make a stolen password useless to thieves by changing it. Choose a strong password that you don’t use for anything else. Better yet, let a password manager choose one for you.
*   **Enable two-factor authentication (2FA).** If you can, use a FIDO2-compliant hardware key, laptop or phone as your second factor. Some forms of two-factor authentication (2FA) can be phished just as easily as a password. 2FA that relies on a FIDO2 device can’t be phished.
*   **Consider not storing your card details**. It’s definitely more convenient to get sites to remember your card details for you, but we highly recommend not storing that information on websites.
*   **Set up identity monitoring.** Identity monitoring alerts you if your personal information is found being traded illegally online, and helps you recover after.

**We don’t just report on phone security—we provide it**

Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline. Keep threats off your mobile devices by downloading Malwarebytes for iOS, and Malwarebytes for Android today.

 Predatory app downloaded 100,000 times from Google Play Store steals data, uses it for blackmail 

Fake browser update scams now target Mac, Windows, and Android users, delivering malware like FrigidStealer, Lumma Stealer, and…

Fake browser update scams now target Mac, Windows, and Android users, delivering malware like FrigidStealer, Lumma Stealer, and Marcher trojan through compromised websites.

Cybersecurity researchers at Proofpoint have identified two new cybercriminal groups behind a wave of fake browser update scams designed to infect users with malware. These groups, tracked as TA2726 and TA2727, are using compromised websites to trick visitors into downloading malicious software with now including a newly discovered Mac-specific information stealer called FrigidStealer.

****How the Attack Works****

The scam relies on web injects, a technique where attackers insert malicious code into legitimate websites. When users visit an infected site, they see a fake browser update prompt urging them to download and install an update. Instead of a real update, the download delivers malware that can steal sensitive data or install more dangerous payloads.

****TA2726 and TA2727****

TA2726 operates as a traffic seller, essentially providing this redirection service for other malicious actors. Researchers believe that TA2726 appears to be working alongside TA569, a previously known threat actor and once the main player in “fake update” campaigns. TA2727, on the other hand, according to Proofpoint’s blog post, is actively distributing malware itself, often employing the “fake update” ruse to trick users.

One recent campaign observed TA2727 delivering different malware based on the victim’s location. In the United States and Canada, users were directed to the SocGholish inject, which led to the installation of malware. But in Europe, Windows users encountered a fake browser update prompt that installed the Lumma Stealer, while Android users were targeted with the Marcher banking trojan.

****FrigidStealer macOS Malware****

The new FrigidStealer targets Mac users, and the attack starts with a fake update message that redirects them to a malicious file. If clicked, the file, disguised as a browser update (both Chrome and Safari), installs the information stealer. FrigidStealer then secretly harvests sensitive data like browser cookies, files related to passwords and cryptocurrencies, and even Apple Notes, just like the recently spotted new variant of the XCSSET malware.

Fake Safari and Chrome browser update websites delivering FrigidStealer (Via: Proofpoint)

The malware is written in Go and uses WailsIO, a framework that allows the fake update window to look realistic. It also bypasses Mac’s Gatekeeper security feature by requiring users to right-click and select “Open,” a common trick used by Mac malware authors.

****Windows and Android Users Also Targeted****

Mac users aren’t the only ones at risk. The same attack chain has been found delivering Marcher banking trojan for Android and Lumma Stealer and DeerStealer for Windows.

For Android users, clicking the update downloads Marcher, a banking trojan that has been active since 2013 and is designed to steal login credentials from banking apps. If a Windows user clicks the fake update, they receive an MSI installer that loads a trojanized DLL, ultimately running Lumma Stealer to extract credentials and financial data.

Users can still protect themselves by learning basic cybersecurity practices, learning how to spot a phishing email, avoiding third-party apps and tools, and scanning files and links on sites like VirusTotal or ANY.RUN.

New FrigidStealer Malware Infects macOS via Fake Browser Updates

Is your Signal, WhatsApp, or Telegram account safe? Google warns of increasing attacks by Russian state-backed groups. Learn…

Is your Signal, WhatsApp, or Telegram account safe? Google warns of increasing attacks by Russian state-backed groups. Learn how they’re stealing messages and what you can do to defend yourself.

Russian state-backed actors are increasingly targeting secure messaging applications like Signal to intercept sensitive communications, reveals a recent report by Google’s Threat Intelligence Group. These groups, often aligned with Russian intelligence services, are focusing on compromising accounts used by individuals of interest, including military personnel, politicians, journalists, and activists. While the initial focus appears to be related to the conflict in Ukraine, researchers believe that these tactics will spread to other regions and threat actors.  

A primary method employed by these actors in this campaign involves exploiting the “linked devices” feature of Signal. By using phishing techniques, they trick users into scanning malicious QR codes, which then secretly link the victim’s account to a device controlled by the attacker. This allows the attacker to receive all messages in real-time, effectively eavesdropping on conversations without needing to compromise the entire device.

These malicious QR codes are often disguised as legitimate Signal resources, such as group invites, security alerts, or even device pairing instructions. In some cases, they are incorporated into phishing pages designed to mimic specialized applications, such as those used by the Ukrainian military.

The screenshot shows a Signal app phishing site and one of the malicious QR codes used in the attack (via Google).

In some cases, malicious QR codes are used in close-access scenarios, such as when Russian military forces capture devices on the battlefield.  This method lacks centralized monitoring and can go unnoticed for extended periods, which makes it hard to detect.

One group, identified as UNC5792 (also known as UAC-0195), has been observed modifying legitimate Signal group invite links. These altered links redirect victims to fake pages that initiate the unauthorized linking of their devices to the attacker’s control. The phishing pages are designed to closely resemble official Signal invites, making detection challenging. 

Another group, UNC4221 (UAC-0185), has targeted Ukrainian military personnel by embedding malicious QR codes within phishing sites that mimic artillery guidance applications. They have also used fake Signal security alerts to deceive victims. 

Beyond phishing, APT44 (Sandworm) utilizes malware and scripts to extract Signal messages from compromised Windows and Android devices. Their WAVESIGN script retrieves recent messages, while Infamous Chisel malware searches for Signal database files on Android devices.  

Other groups, like Turla and UNC1151, target the desktop application, using scripts and tools to copy and exfiltrate stored messages. UNC4221 has also used a JavaScript payload called PINPOINT to gather user information and geolocation data.

The popularity of secure messaging apps makes them prime targets for adversaries and other platforms, such as WhatsApp and Telegram, are also facing similar threats.

“The operational emphasis on Signal from multiple threat actors in recent months serves as an important warning for the growing threat to secure messaging applications that is certain to intensify in the near-term,” researchers warned.

Therefore, users are advised to stay cautious. It is important to use strong screen locks with complex passwords, keep operating systems and apps updated, and ensure Google Play Protect is enabled. Regularly auditing linked devices, exercising caution with QR codes and links, and enabling two-factor authentication are also recommended. iPhone users at high risk should consider enabling Lockdown Mode.

Hackers Tricking Users Into Linking Devices to Steal Signal Messages

Google is allowing its advertizing customers to fingerprint website visitors. Can you stop it?

In the ongoing saga that is Google’s struggle to replace tracking cookies, we have entered a new phase. But whether that’s good news is another matter.

For years, Google has been saying it will phase out the third-party tracking cookies that power much of its advertising business online, proposing new ideas that would allegedly preserve user privacy while still providing businesses with steady revenue streams.

But it’s not been straight forward for Google. As we reported in July, 2024, the tech giant said that due to feedback from authorities and other stakeholders in advertising, Google was looking at a new path forward in finding the balance between privacy and an ad-supported internet.

The announcement read:

> “Instead of deprecating third-party cookies, we would introduce a new experience in Chrome that lets people make an informed choice that applies across their web browsing.”

It’s not hard to see why this is scary. Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature caused a significant upset in the mobile advertising industry. When introduced in April 2021, it allowed users to opt out of being tracked across apps and websites. This led to an estimated 96% of US users choosing to opt out of tracking. With three billion Chrome users around the world, that might easily be an advertiser’s worst nightmare.

Google promised to kill tracking cookies by introducing a one-time global prompt upgrade that would present users with the choice of being tracked or not. By third-party cookies that is.

But ahead of fulfilling that promise, Google has introduced digital fingerprinting. Digital fingerprinting is like creating a unique digital ID for you or your device based on various pieces of information collected when you browse the internet, like:

*   Operating System (OS): Windows, Android, iOS, etc.
*   Browser type and version
*   IP address
*   Installed browser plugins
*   Time zone
*   Language settings
*   …and so on.

With all these pieces of information, it’s possible to create a unique fingerprint by which websites can recognize you, even if you clear your cookies. They will even be able to make an informed guess if you visit the same site with a different browser.

Google itself, at one point, said that fingerprinting was undesirable:

> “Unlike cookies, users cannot clear their fingerprint and therefore cannot control how their information is collected. We think this subverts user choice and is wrong.”

But, per Google’s announcement on December 19, 2024, organizations that use its advertising products can use fingerprinting techniques from last Sunday, February 16, 2025. Well, as far as Google is concerned that is.

The UK information commissioner’s office (ICO) reminded businesses they do not have free rein to use fingerprinting as they please. Like all advertising technology, it must be lawfully and transparently deployed – and if it is not, the ICO will act.

But the OK from Google is likely the start of an intermediate period where we will be bothered with both fingerprinting and third-party cookies until the advertising industry has had the time to transition.

**What can I do?**

Countering fingerprinting is a lot harder than keeping cookies at a minimum. But there are some things you can do to make it harder to get your fingerprint taken.

*   However hard it may be, the time may have come to consider switching to a browser that provides built-in features to resist fingerprinting
*   Or look for anti-fingerprinting tools in the form of browser extensions
*   Use a VPN that can mask your IP address and location, which are very significant pieces of information for fingerprinting
*   Keep your browser updated, so your old version will not give away your data
*   Disabling JavaScript can break a website’s functionality, but it also significantly reduces the data websites can gather about you.

We don’t just write about privacy, we can help you improve yours. Try Malwarebytes Privacy VPN.

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