Description

Threat actors are using fake websites mimicking legitimate antivirus solutions from Avast, Bitdefender, and Malwarebytes to spread malware targeting both Android and Windows devices. Trellix security researcher Gurumoorthi Ramanathan highlighted that hosting malicious software on seemingly legitimate sites is particularly dangerous for consumers seeking to protect their devices from cyber threats. The deceptive websites include avast-securedownload[.]com, which distributes the SpyNote trojan via an Android package file ("Avast.apk"). Once installed, this trojan requests intrusive permissions to access SMS messages, call logs, install and delete apps, take screenshots, track location, and even mine cryptocurrency. Bitdefender-app[.]com delivers a ZIP archive file ("setup-win-x86-x64.exe.zip") that deploys the Lumma information stealer malware, while malwarebytes[.]pro uses a RAR archive file ("MBSetup.rar") to spread the StealC information stealer malware. Additionally, Trellix found a rogue binary named "AMCoreDat.exe" that drops stealer malware capable of harvesting victim information and exfiltrating it to a remote server. Although the distribution methods for these fake websites remain unclear, similar campaigns have used techniques such as malvertising and search engine optimization (SEO) poisoning. Stealer malware has become increasingly prevalent, with numerous custom variants being advertised by cybercriminals. These include new stealers like Acrid, SamsStealer, ScarletStealer, and Waltuhium Grabber, as well as updates to existing ones like SYS01stealer. Kaspersky recently reported on a Gipy malware campaign exploiting the popularity of AI tools by advertising a fake AI voice generator through phishing websites. This malware loads third-party threats hosted on GitHub, including information stealers, cryptocurrency miners, remote access trojans, and backdoors. Meanwhile, Symantec detailed a new Android banking trojan called Antidot, disguised as a Google Play update, which facilitates information theft by abusing Android's accessibility and MediaProjection APIs.