New Digital Threat Is Impossible to Spot, But You Can Stop It

Your favorite mobile game might be spying on you. New AI-powered trojans have been discovered in official app stores, capable of recording your screen and draining your data without ever showing a single red flag to the user.

The advancements of AI have made our lives better, but they also come with collateral risks. This includes fraudsters tapping into the technology to develop more sophisticated attacks. One of the latest threats proves this, as it has been victimizing Android users, including those with Xiaomi devices.

Why This New Malware Is Alarming

The security group Dr. Web has discovered (via Bleeping Computer) a new type of ad trojan targeting mobile users. According to the researchers, what makes this group of malicious software so concerning is how they take advantage of machine learning for nefarious acts like click fraud attacks or clickjacking.

It is reported that the bad actors behind this malware utilize Google’s open source library TensorFlow, which is a set of machine learning models used for deploying AI. Attackers train the malware to analyze in app or game content, specifically for detecting and recognizing advertisements.

Once the malware is deployed onto a device, the script runs silently in the background while automating interactions with any detected ads. This inflates the click through rate on pages, artificially increasing the revenue generated for the developers of these malicious apps.

Security experts note that because of these AI capabilities, the attack is far more effective against dynamic and variable ads. This means the malware interacts naturally and can adapt to changing ad formats rather than being limited to a single type of display.

Furthermore, attackers have an even more dangerous alternative to clickjacking: screen spying. This works by creating a live video feed of the user’s screen to a remote server. Fraudsters can then watch and control what appears on the screen, such as manually clicking on displayed ads or viewing sensitive information.

Infected Games and Apps Found on Xiaomi’s App Store

These trojans are currently being distributed through Xiaomi’s GetApps storefront, a legitimate alternative to platforms like the Play Store. Because it is an official client, users are often unaware of the hidden danger, assuming the apps are safe.

Among the infected titles are Theft Auto Mafia with 61,000 downloads, Cute Pet House with over 34,000 downloads, and Open World Gangsters with about 11,000 downloads. Combined with other apps, these have reached hundreds of thousands of users.

Apart from the Xiaomi store, attackers also use rogue APK sites like APKMody and ModDroid, as well as Telegram channels, to distribute the infected software. Some of these apps are modified third party versions of popular services like Spotify and YouTube that claim to offer premium features without a subscription.

What to Do If Your Device Is Infected

Security experts note that while this malware may not pose an immediate threat to your device and system files, it is still vital to employ safeguards.

The first step is uninstalling any apps or games you do not frequently use or those from unverified developers. It is always safer to download apps only from official stores and to thoroughly check the developer’s history. Users should also avoid suspicious websites and refrain from clicking on unknown links.

What safety measures do you apply to your device? Do you only download apps from the Play Store? Share your answers in the comments below.