{"id":178062,"date":"2025-12-10T23:50:06","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T23:50:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/178062\/"},"modified":"2025-12-10T23:50:06","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T23:50:06","slug":"new-droidlock-threat-gives-attackers-near-total-control-of-android-phones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/178062\/","title":{"rendered":"New DroidLock threat gives attackers near-total control of Android phones"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new report\u00a0out today\u00a0from mobile security platform provider\u00a0Zimperium Inc.<\/a>\u00a0is warning of a new strain of Android malware that can give attackers the ability to seize near-total control of infected devices through a combination of social engineering, elevated permissions and real-time remote access.<\/p>\n

Dubbed \u201cDroidLock,\u201d the new malware is distributed through phishing websites that trick users into installing a malicious dropper application, which then installs the core payload in a second stage. The malware aggressively requests Accessibility Services and device administrator permissions to bypass many of Android\u2019s built-in security controls.<\/p>\n

DroidLock then establishes communication with command-and-control infrastructure using HTTP and WebSocket connections to allow the attackers to issue live commands remotely.<\/p>\n

Malware targeting Android devices is not new, but where DroidLock gets interesting is that, according to the researchers at Zimperium\u2019s zLabs, its capabilities go far beyond what is typically seen in standard mobile malware and ransomware.<\/p>\n

DroidLock can display full-screen ransom overlays designed to impersonate system update screens, force the device into a locked state, change authentication credentials such as PINs or biometrics and even wipe the targeted device completely.<\/p>\n

The malware can also display fake login overlays over legitimate applications to harvest banking and account credentials, silently capture screen activity, trigger the device camera, mute system audio, uninstall apps and manipulate notifications.<\/p>\n

Notably and despite being ransomware, DroidLock does not use file encryption but instead uses coercion through device control, locking victims out of their phones and threatening permanent data loss unless a ransom is paid.<\/p>\n

The broader implications of the format of DroidLock are notable; while so far it has only been observed in a threat campaign targeting Spanish Android users, its functionality could be a sign of new malware and ransomware campaigns to come.<\/p>\n

The researchers advise Android users to avoid installing apps from untrusted websites and to be skeptical of any application requesting accessibility or device administrator permissions. Enterprises are also advised to use runtime mobile threat detection, continuous behavioral monitoring and strong mobile endpoint protection.<\/p>\n

Image: SiliconANGLE\/Ideogram<\/p>\n

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About SiliconANGLE Media<\/p>\n

SiliconANGLE Media is a recognized leader in digital media innovation, uniting breakthrough technology, strategic insights and real-time audience engagement. As the parent company of SiliconANGLE<\/a>, theCUBE Network<\/a>, theCUBE Research<\/a>, CUBE365<\/a>, theCUBE AI<\/a> and theCUBE SuperStudios \u2014 with flagship locations in Silicon Valley and the New York Stock Exchange \u2014 SiliconANGLE Media operates at the intersection of media, technology and AI.<\/p>\n

Founded by tech visionaries John Furrier and Dave Vellante, SiliconANGLE Media has built a dynamic ecosystem of industry-leading digital media brands that reach 15+ million elite tech professionals. Our new proprietary theCUBE AI Video Cloud is breaking ground in audience interaction, leveraging theCUBEai.com neural network to help technology companies make data-driven decisions and stay at the forefront of industry conversations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A new report\u00a0out today\u00a0from mobile security platform provider\u00a0Zimperium Inc.\u00a0is warning of a new strain of Android malware that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":178063,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[44742,113888,111,139,69,4407,145],"class_list":["post-178062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-duncan-riley","tag-new-droidlock-threat-gives-attackers-near-total-control-of-android-phones","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-siliconangle","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178062","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=178062"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178062\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/178063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=178062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=178062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=178062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}