Technology
What you need to know about VajraSpy RAT, the cyber espionage tool that infiltrated Google Play
You might think that downloading an app from the app store is safe and easy, right? Well, not always. Sometimes, you might actually end up with a nasty surprise: an app that is actually spyware hiding behind a fake name and icon.
That’s what the VajraSpy RAT does. It’s a Trojan that targets Android devices and steals your data without you knowing. This is a real threat that has affected many Android users.
Although VajraSpy has been removed from the Google Play Store, it’s still lurking out there on third-party app stores. Also, VajraSpy and the Patchwork APT group behind it are still active. They may attempt to infiltrate other platforms or modify their tactics to evade Google’s detection in the future.
To protect yourself, here’s what you need to know about VajraSpy RAT, the cyber espionage tool that’s infiltrated Google Play on Android.
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Illustration of a hacker (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
What is cyber espionage tool VajraSpy RAT?
VajraSpy is a remote access Trojan (RAT), which is a type of malware that’s designed to allow an attacker to control an infected device remotely. To get the RAT on your devices, scammers need you to download it to your system. Once the RAT is running on a compromised system — in this case, your Android — the attacker can send commands to it and receive data back in response.
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What are some of cyber espionage tool VajraSpy’s capabilities?
Some of VajraSpy’s capabilities are accessing and taking your contacts, photos and messages. This even includes encrypted messages like those on WhatsApp. Also, searching and exfiltrating documents, images, audio and other types of files.
In addition, it can listen in on and record your phone calls (if granted the appropriate permissions) and activate your device’s camera to take pictures, turning it into a surveillance tool.
A person on social media on their Android (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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How does cyber espionage tool VajraSpy RAT get onto your Android device?
VajraSpy gets onto an unsuspecting victim’s device via a malicious app. When the RAT was first discovered, it was on apps that were found on Google Play sometime between April 1, 2021, through Sept. 10, 2023.
ESET researchers uncovered the campaign report in 2022 when Patchwork APT — a hacking group primarily targeting people in Pakistan that’s been around since 2015 — exposed their campaign after unintentionally infecting their own infrastructure with another RAT they were experimenting with.
When this was leaked and VajraSpy was discovered, the infected apps on Google Play were taken down. But they can still be found in third-party apps, with some still getting through to Google Play anyway.
What are the third-party apps?
VajraSpy has been disguising itself primarily in news and messaging apps on Android. Some of the apps that researchers know about include:
- Rafaqat رفاقت
- Privee Talk
- Chit Chat
- Hello Chat
- YohooTalk
- MeetMe
- Let’s Chat
- Quick Chat
- TikTalk
- Nidus
- GlowChat
- Wave Chat
Google Play Protect protects users by automatically removing apps known to contain this malware on Android devices with Google Play Services. However, it is important to note that Google Play Protect may not be enough. Historically, it isn’t 100% foolproof at removing all known malware from Android devices. If, for some reason, you still see these apps on your phone, be sure to manually uninstall them.
How to uninstall apps on Android
Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer.
- Open the Settings app
- Scroll down and select Apps
- Tap on the app you want to delete and select Uninstall
- Confirm your choice by tapping OK or Uninstall again
Have good antivirus software on all your devices
We also recommend going beyond Google Play Protect to keep yourself from having your data breached. As we all know, free is not always the way to go, especially when we are talking about antivirus protection. Keeping hackers out of your devices can be prevented if you have good antivirus software installed. Find my review of Best Antivirus Protection here.
How to keep yourself safe from cyber espionage tool VajraSpy RAT and other Trojans
Remember, the bad guys behind VajraSpy and similar malware perpetrators are pretty quick. They keep infecting new apps with this Trojan, so always keep an eye out by using the following tips:
Tip #1 – To avoid getting your Android infiltrated by VajraSpy RAT, don’t download any apps that are recommended by someone you don’t know or don’t know well. And if the message does come from someone you know, always be a little skeptical, especially if you have never heard of the app.
Tip #2 – Make sure to only download apps from reputable app stores you’re familiar with, too. Keep in mind, though, that these bad actors are able to get new apps to slip through the cracks of Google Play time and time again. Therefore, it’s important to employ a mix of different strategies to keep yourself safe.
Tip #3 – One way to know whether or not an app is safe is by looking at how many downloads it has. If it has a small number of downloads, chances are it could be a scam. Also, look at how many reviews it has and what those reviews are and do a quick check to see if someone mentioned it as a scam or not. A good rule of thumb is if you don’t need it, and you’re not sure, don’t download it.
The good news is that compared to other spyware apps, VajraSpy hasn’t been that successful. We know this by looking at the amount of downloads/installations of the apps it disguises itself as. That being said, those third-party app stores where you can still find a lot of these malicious apps don’t track downloads well, so it’s hard to know how many victims fell for VajraSpy there.
A man on his Android phone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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Kurt’s key takeaways
Though there are much bigger scams to be concerned with, letting your guard down could make you more vulnerable to attacks like this cyber espionage tool called VajraSpy RAT. To protect your Android and your data, just remember to be cautious if you see an invitation to download a messaging app from someone you don’t know well. Also, invest in antivirus software to protect your Android.
Have you ever received a strange message that asked you to download an app? What happened? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.
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Technology
Anker’s last-gen sleep buds are nearly 40 percent off ahead of daylight saving time
Bad news: most Americans are about to lose an hour of sleep next week. Good news: if you have trouble falling (or staying asleep), Newegg is currently selling Anker’s Soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds for $113.99 ($66 off) when you use coupon code MMSF88 at checkout, which drops them to just $6 shy of their lowest price to date.
A couple of us here at The Verge are fans of Anker’s last-gen sleep buds, which do a good job of muffling disruptive noises (including snoring). They’re lightweight and comfortable enough to wear overnight, even while sleeping on your side, with multiple ear tips and wings for a personalized fit. In fact, in his review, my colleague Thomas Ricker said that they improved his average sleep time by nearly 30 minutes within a two-week period.
What’s even more convenient is that they offer a variety of sleep-focused features to help you rest better. For example, you can use them to play a range of relaxing sounds, from meditation exercises and nature clips to white noise. You can use them as a regular pair of Bluetooth earbuds, too, just in case you prefer to listen to audiobooks or your own curated sleep playlist. They even come with adjustable EQ as well, though we wouldn’t recommend using them as your primary earbuds for music, given that they can’t match the audio quality you’d get from a pair of midrange earbuds from Apple, Sony, or Bose.
In addition, the Sleep A20 offer up to 14 hours of battery life and sleep tracking, providing insights into how long and how well you’ve slept via a companion app that also details your sleep positions and movements. The newer Soundcore Sleep A30 feature active noise cancellation, which is more effective at masking sounds than the A20’s passive isolation, but Anker’s last-gen earbuds remain a decent, budget-friendly option that can help you comfortably tune out most nighttime distractions for nearly half the price.
Technology
Figure data breach exposes nearly 1M accounts
Cyber expert shares tips to avoid AI phishing scams
Kurt ‘The CyberGuy’ Knutsson shares practical ways to avoid falling victim to AI-generated phishing scams and discusses a report that North Korean agents are posing as I.T. workers to funnel money into the country’s nuclear program.
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If you have applied for a loan online, you probably shared more than you realized. Your name. Your email. Your date of birth. Maybe even your home address and phone number. Now imagine all of that sitting on a dark web forum.
That is the reality for nearly 1 million people after hackers breached Figure Technology Solutions, a blockchain-focused fintech lender.
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What happened in the Figure data breach
Figure Technology Solutions, founded in 2018, uses the Provenance blockchain for lending, borrowing and securities trading. The company says it has unlocked more than $22 billion in home equity through partnerships with banks, credit unions, fintechs and home improvement companies. However, behind the scenes, attackers were working on a very different angle.
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Nearly 1 million accounts were exposed after hackers breached fintech lender Figure Technology Solutions in a social engineering attack. (Felix Zahn/Photothek via Getty Images)
According to breach notification data shared by Have I Been Pwned, information from 967,200 accounts was exposed. The leaked data included more than 900,000 unique email addresses along with names, phone numbers, physical addresses and dates of birth. That is a gold mine for identity thieves. Figure says the incident stemmed from a social engineering attack. What that means in simple terms is that someone inside the company was tricked into handing over access.
“We recently identified that an employee was socially engineered, and that allowed an actor to download a limited number of files through their account,” a Figure Technology Solutions spokesperson told CyberGuy in a statement. “We acted quickly to block the activity and retained a forensic firm to investigate what files were affected. We understand the importance of these matters and are communicating with partners and those impacted as appropriate. We are also implementing additional safeguards and training to further strengthen our defenses. We are offering complimentary credit monitoring to all individuals who receive a notice. We continuously monitor accounts and have strong safeguards in place to protect customers’ funds and accounts.”
Social engineering is the real weapon
When people hear the word blockchain, they think secure and untouchable. But attackers did not break cryptography. They targeted a human being. Groups like ShinyHunters specialize in this playbook. They reportedly claimed responsibility for the breach and, according to BleepingComputer, posted 2.5GB of data allegedly tied to thousands of loan applicants.
In recent weeks, the same group has claimed breaches involving companies like Canada Goose, Panera Bread and SoundCloud. Not every case is connected. Still, security researchers have observed a troubling pattern. Attackers impersonate IT support. They call employees. They create urgency. Then they direct victims to fake login portals that look nearly identical to real ones.
Once employees enter credentials and even multi-factor authentication codes, attackers gain access to single sign-on systems tied to major platforms like Microsoft and Google. From there, one compromised account can unlock a web of connected tools and internal systems.
PANERA BREAD DATA BREACH EXPOSES 5.1M CUSTOMERS
Security researchers say the Figure data leak underscores how social engineering bypasses even blockchain-based platforms. (Maxim Konankov/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Why this matters to you
If your information was part of the Figure data breach, criminals now have enough detail to craft convincing phishing emails or phone scams. They can reference your real name. They can cite your address. They can pretend to be a lender or bank calling about your application.
Even if you never applied for a loan with Figure, this incident highlights something bigger. No platform is immune to human error. And social engineering works because it targets trust, not technology.
The bigger lesson about blockchain and trust
Figure markets itself as blockchain native. Blockchain can provide transparency and strong cryptographic security. However, none of that protects against a well-crafted phone call.
Security failures often happen at the human layer. That is where attackers focus their energy. As more financial services move online, the attack surface grows. Loan applications, identity verification tools and cloud-based systems create convenience. They also create new targets.
How to protect yourself after the Figure data breach
You cannot control how companies secure their systems. You can control how you respond. Start by checking whether your email address appears in the exposed dataset, then take the steps below to lock down your accounts.
SUBSTACK DATA BREACH EXPOSES EMAILS AND PHONE NUMBERS
Figure says an employee was tricked into granting access, allowing attackers to download sensitive customer data. (Luke MacGregor/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Check if your email was exposed
To see if your email address was affected, visit https://haveibeenpwned.com/. Enter your email address to find out whether your information appears in the leak. When finished, return here and begin Step 1 below.
Take these steps immediately
- Change any exposed passwords right away. Do not leave a known leaked password in place. Update it everywhere you used it. Use a password manager to create strong, unique passwords for every account. Check out the best expert-reviewed password managers of 2026 at Cyberguy.com
- Turn on multi-factor authentication wherever possible.
- Never share login codes with anyone, even if they claim to be IT support.
- Install strong antivirus software to help block phishing links, malicious downloads and ransomware that often follow major breaches. Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at Cyberguy.com.
- Consider a data removal service to reduce your personal information on data broker sites, which scammers often combine with breached data. Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com.
- Place a free fraud alert or credit freeze with the major credit bureaus.
- Monitor your bank and credit card statements weekly for suspicious activity.
Also, be cautious of unexpected calls about your accounts. If someone pressures you to act immediately, hang up and call the company directly using a number from its official website.
Kurt’s key takeaways
The Figure data breach is a reminder that technology alone cannot protect sensitive information. A single employee tricked into revealing credentials can expose hundreds of thousands of people. That is not a blockchain failure. It is a trust failure. If your data was involved, take action now. Even if it was not, treat this as a wake-up call. Your personal information has value. Criminals know it. Companies should know it too.
If one phone call can unlock nearly a million records, are companies investing enough in training people, or are they still betting everything on technology alone? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com
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Technology
Apple’s website leaks MacBook ‘Neo,’ which could be its new cheaper laptop
During Apple’s week-long product launch event on Tuesday, a listing for the “MacBook Neo (Model A3404)” appeared on a regulatory compliance page on Apple’s website under its line-up of 2026 MacBooks. First spotted by MacRumors, the listing appears to be an accident and has since been removed, but may have been a leaked reference to a rumored entry-level MacBook. Unfortunately, it didn’t include any additional details beyond the device’s name and model number.
The lower price and an “entirely new design” could help the new MacBook appeal to students and casual users, competing with Chromebooks and low-cost Windows laptops. A more affordable MacBook could be especially appealing after Apple announced the M5 MacBook Air on Tuesday, which has a higher starting price than last year’s Air.
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