Technology

Protect your Android from the Vultur banking Trojan’s remote attacks

Published

2 years ago

April 10, 2024

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Protect your Android from the Vultur banking Trojan’s remote attacks

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One of the most advanced Trojans targeting banking apps has gotten an upgrade. Vultur has been wreaking havoc on Androids since security firm ThreatFabric discovered it in 2021. According to researchers with NCC Group, the malware has reemerged and is even stealthier than before.

You might remember Vultur for the notoriety it gained for its ability to screen record on devices remotely. It hid in apps, some of which were on the Google Play Store, and infected your device.

But now Vultur has new ways to take over Androids and new methods to trick you into downloading malware. Hackers now utilize everything from text messages to phone calls to dupe their victims. Once they get into your device, they can take total control. Hackers can remotely access and use your phone – all in an effort to take your hard-earned money.

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Android phone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Vultur’s new hybrid attack

According to NCC Group, this new attack focuses on contacting victims. It begins with a text message urging the victim to call if they didn’t authorize a transaction on their bank account. However, the transaction isn’t real; it’s simply a ruse.

If the victim calls, they will receive instructions to download a McAfee Security app containing the banking Trojan and a text message with the link.

The security app looks normal but actually contains the Brunhilda dropper, a deceptive component hidden within seemingly legitimate apps. In this case, the dropper contains the Vultur Trojan. It then releases and executes the Trojan in three batches. When the third batch is dropped, hackers can gain total control of your Android device.

Illustration of infection chain (NCC Group) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

MORE: HACKERS USE PIRATED SOFTWARE TO HIJACK MAC, ANDROID, WINDOWS DEVICES

Vultur’s new features

Vultur was already a very serious threat to Android users. But now, that threat has been significantly upgraded thanks to the level of control hackers can gain. Once Vultur has infected your device, hackers can install, delete, upload and download files. It can even stop apps from running in the first place. If that wasn’t enough, Vultur can bypass Android’s Keylock feature, bypassing your lock screen.

Even more frightening is Vultur’s remote control capabilities. The malware has been able to remotely access devices since it was first discovered in 2021. But now, hackers can instruct the malware to swipe, click, scroll, mute and unmute audio, and more, giving them more control.

Hackers don’t need to worry about staying connected to the device, either. They have leveraged Google’s Firebase Cloud Messaging system to be able to send instructions to infected devices.

Samsung phone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

How to protect your Android from Vultur

One of the biggest ways to stay away from Vultur is not to call after a hacker texts you about approving a large bank transaction. You can always call your financial intuition yourself to check. But never call an unknown phone number that’s sent to you by an unknown person. Here are some other tips as well:

Avoid sideloading apps and shortened URLs

Try not to sideload apps. That’s when you install apps outside of a legitimate source. Shortened URLs can mislead users into downloading malware.

Be careful granting permissions

Exercise caution when granting app permissions. Consider whether an app truly needs access to certain device functions or data.

Limit the apps you have on your phone

Sometimes, having a lot of apps on your phone can make it easy to be exposed to malware. These apps can let in malicious code over time, and the more apps you have to keep track of and update, the more likely your Android will be vulnerable. Here’s how to delete unnecessary apps from your Android.

Hacker using Android and laptop (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

MORE: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT VAJRASPY RAT, THE CYBERESPIONAGE TOOL THAT INFILTRATED GOOGLE PLAY

Download apps from reputable sources

Additionally, when you download apps, make sure they are from reliable and legitimate developers. Check reviews and do some research before just hitting “install.”

Keep your Android device updated

Your phone has a way of keeping itself safe with software and security updates. Don’t forget to install them.

Have good antivirus software on all your devices

Installing antivirus protection on all your devices is the best way to protect yourself from malware. Antivirus software will prevent you from clicking on potentially malicious links that may install malware on your devices, allowing hackers to gain access to your personal information. Get my picks for the best 2024 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices.

What should you do if your data is compromised?

If malware has already invaded your device, then you should take immediate action to minimize the damage and secure your device. Here are some steps that you can follow:

Change your passwords

Vultur can give hackers access to everything on your device, including your online accounts and your personal or financial information. To prevent this, you should change your passwords for all your important accounts as soon as possible. However, you should not do this on your infected device because the hacker might see your new passwords. Instead, you should use ANOTHER DEVICE, such as your laptop or desktop, to change your passwords. Make sure you use strong and unique passwords that are difficult to guess or break. You can also use a password manager to generate and store your passwords securely.

Monitor your accounts and transactions

You should regularly check your online accounts and transactions for suspicious or unauthorized activity. If you notice anything unusual, report it to the service provider or authorities immediately. You should also review your credit reports and scores to see signs of identity theft or fraud.

Use identity theft protection

Hackers can access everything on your Android device, including your personal and financial information. They can use this information to create fake accounts in your name, access your existing accounts and pretend to be you online. This can cause serious damage to your identity and credit score.

To avoid this, you should use identity theft protection services. These services can track your personal information, such as your home title, Social Security Number, phone number and email address, and notify you if they detect any suspicious activity. They can also help you freeze your bank and credit card accounts to stop hackers from using them. Read more of my review of the best identity theft protection services here.

Contact your bank and credit card companies

If hackers have obtained your bank or credit card information, they could use it to make purchases or withdrawals without your consent. You should inform your bank and credit card companies of the situation. They can help you freeze or cancel your cards, dispute any fraudulent charges and issue new cards for you.

Alert your contacts

If hackers have accessed your email or social media accounts, they could use them to send spam or phishing messages to your contacts. They could also impersonate you and ask for money or personal information. You should alert your contacts and warn them not to open or respond to any messages from you that seem suspicious or unusual.

Restore your device to factory settings

If you want to ensure that your device is free of malware or spyware, you can restore it to factory settings. This will erase all your data and settings and reinstall the original Android version. Before doing this, you should back up your important data and only restore it from a trusted source.

Kurt’s key takeaways

Vultur is an incredibly sophisticated banking Trojan with some terrifying features. The fact that hackers can gain full control of your Android is scary, making it all the more important that you protect yourself.

These attacks begin with a simple text message. It’s up to you to make the effort to separately call your financial institution and see if anything’s amiss. Just taking an extra 10 minutes can save you from having your entire device compromised and your personal information exposed.

How worried are you about Vultur attacks? How do you protect yourself from attacks targeting your finances? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

For more of my tech tips & security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.

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Technology

Two more xAI co-founders are among those leaving after the SpaceX merger

Published

6 hours ago

February 11, 2026

Press Room

Two more xAI co-founders are among those leaving after the SpaceX merger

Since the xAI-SpaceX merger announced last week, which combined the two companies (as well as social media platform X) for a reported $1.25 trillion valuation — the biggest merger of all time — a handful of xAI employees and two of its co-founders have abruptly exited the company, penning long departure announcements online. Some also announced that they were starting their own AI companies.

Co-founder Yuhai (Tony) Wu announced his departure on X, writing that it was “time for [his] next chapter.” Jimmy Ba, another co-founder, posted something similar later that day, saying it was “time to recalibrate [his] gradient on the big picture.” The departures mean that xAI is now left with only half of its original 12 co-founders on staff.

It all comes after changing plans for the future of the combined companies, which Elon Musk recently announced would involve “space-based AI” data centers and vertical integration involving “AI, rockets, space-based internet, direct-to-mobile device communications and the world’s foremost real-time information and free speech platform.” Musk reportedly also talked of plans to build an AI satellite factory and city on the moon in an internal xAI meeting.

Musk wrote on X Wednesday that “xAI was reorganized a few days ago to improve speed of execution” and claimed that the process “unfortunately required parting ways with some people,” then put out a call for more people to apply to the company. He also posted a recording of xAI’s 45-minute internal all-hands meeting that announced the changes.

“We’re organizing the company to be more effective at this scale,” Musk said during the meeting. He added that the company will now be organized in four main application areas: Grok Main and Voice, Coding, Imagine (image and video), and Macrohard (“which is intended to do full digital emulation of entire companies,” Musk said).

Technology

2026 Valentine’s romance scams and how to avoid them

Published

7 hours ago

February 11, 2026

Press Room

2026 Valentine’s romance scams and how to avoid them

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Valentine’s Day should be about connection. However, every February also becomes the busiest season of the year for romance scammers. In 2026, that risk is higher than ever.

These scams are no longer simple “lonely hearts” schemes. Instead, modern romance fraud relies on artificial intelligence, data brokers and stolen personal profiles. Rather than sending random messages and hoping for a response, scammers carefully select victims using detailed personal data. From there, they use AI to impersonate real people, create convincing conversations and build trust at scale.

As a result, if you are divorced, widowed or returning to online dating after the holidays, this is often the exact moment scammers target you.

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WHEN DATING APPS GET HACKED, YOUR PRIVATE LIFE GOES PUBLIC

Romance scams surge around Valentine’s Day as criminals use artificial intelligence and stolen data to target widowed, divorced and older adults returning to online dating. (Omar Karim/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

The new face of romance scams in 2026

Romance scams are no longer slow, one-on-one cons. They’re now high-tech operations designed to target hundreds of people at once. Here’s what’s changed:

1) AI-generated personas that look and sound real

In the past, fake profiles used stolen photos and broken English. Today, scammers use AI-generated faces, voices and videos that don’t belong to any real person, making them almost impossible to reverse search.

You may be interacting with a profile that:

Has years of realistic-looking social media posts
Shares daily photos that match the story they tell
Sends customized voice notes that sound natural
Appears on “video calls” using AI face-mapping software.

Some scam networks even create entire fake families and friend groups online, so the person appears to have a real life, real friends and real history. To the victim, it feels like a genuine connection because the “person” behaves like one in every way.

2) Automated relationship scripts that adapt to you

Behind the scenes, many scammers now use software platforms that manage dozens of conversations at once. This is known as “scamware” and is incredibly hard to flag.

These systems:

Track your replies
Flag emotional triggers (grief, loneliness, fear, trust)
Suggest responses based on your mood and history.

When you mention that you are widowed, the tone quickly becomes more comforting. Meanwhile, if you say you are financially stable, the story shifts toward so-called “business opportunities.” And if you hesitate, the system responds by introducing urgency or guilt. It feels personal, but in reality, you’re being guided through a pre-written emotional funnel designed to lead to one outcome: money.

3) Crypto and “investment romance” scams

One of the fastest-growing versions of romance fraud now blends love and money. A BBC World Service investigation recently revealed that many romance scams are now run by organized criminal networks across Southeast Asia, using what insiders call the “pig butchering” model, where victims are slowly “fattened up” with trust before being financially destroyed.

These operations use call center style setups, data broker profiles, scripted conversations and AI tools to target thousands of people at once. This is not accidental fraud. It’s an industry.

And the reason you were selected is simple. Your personal data made you easy to find, easy to profile and easy to target.

After weeks of trust-building, the scammer introduces:

A “private” crypto platform
A fake trading app
A business or investment opportunity, “they use themselves.”

They may show fake dashboards, fake profits and even let you “withdraw” small amounts at first to build trust. But once larger sums are sent, the site disappears and so does the person. There is no investment. There is no account. And there is no way to recover the funds.

AI DEEPFAKE ROMANCE SCAM STEALS WOMAN’S HOME AND LIFE SAVINGS

Data brokers selling personal details fuel a new wave of romance fraud by helping scammers select financially stable, older victims before contact is made. (Jens Büttner/picture alliance via Getty Images)

How scammers find you before you ever match

The biggest misconception is that romance scams begin on dating apps. They don’t. They begin long before that, inside massive databases run by data brokers. These companies collect and sell profiles that include:

Your age and marital status
Whether you’re widowed or divorced
Your home address history
Your phone number and email
Your family members and relatives
Your income range and retirement status.

Scammers buy this data to build shortlists of ideal victims.

The data brokers behind romance scams

They filter for:

Age 55-plus
Widowed or divorced
Living alone
Financially stable
Not active on social media.

That’s how they know who to target before the first message is ever sent.

Why are widowed and retired adults targeted first?

Scammers aren’t cruel by accident. They target people who are statistically more likely to respond. If you’ve lost a spouse, moved recently or reentered the dating world, your personal data often shows that. That makes you a priority target. And once your name lands on a scammer’s list, it can be sold again and again. That’s why many victims say, “I blocked them, but new ones keep showing up.” It’s not a coincidence. It’s data recycling.

How the scam usually unfolds

Most romance scams follow the same pattern:

Friendly introduction: A warm message. No pressure. Often references something personal about you.
Fast emotional bonding: They mirror your values, your experiences, even your grief.
Distance and excuses: They can’t meet. There’s always a reason: military deployment, overseas job, business travel.
A sudden “crisis”: Medical bills, business losses, frozen accounts, investment opportunities.
Money requests: Wire transfers, gift cards, crypto or “temporary help.”

By the time money is involved, the emotional connection is already strong. Many victims send thousands before realizing it’s a scam.

The Valentine’s Day cleanup that stops scams at the source

If you want fewer scam messages this year, you need to remove your personal information from the places scammers buy it. That’s where a data removal service comes in. While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice. They aren’t cheap, and neither is your privacy.

These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It’s what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you.

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.

Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com.

Practical steps to protect yourself this February

Here’s what you can do right now:

Never send money to someone you haven’t met in person
Be skeptical of fast emotional bonding
Verify profiles with reverse image searches
Don’t share personal details early
Remove your data from broker sites.
Use strong antivirus software to block malicious links and fake login pages. Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at Cyberguy.com.

When you combine these steps, you remove the access, urgency and leverage scammers rely on.

SUPER BOWL SCAMS SURGE IN FEBRUARY AND TARGET YOUR DATA

Cybercriminals now deploy AI-generated faces, voices and scripted conversations to impersonate real people and build trust at scale in modern romance scams. (Martin Bertrand/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)

Kurt’s key takeaways

Romance scams are no longer random. They are targeted, data-driven and emotionally engineered. This Valentine’s Day, the best gift you can give yourself is privacy. By removing your personal data from broker databases, you make it harder for scammers to find you, profile you and exploit your trust. And that’s how you protect not just your heart, but your identity, your savings and your peace of mind.

Have you or someone you love been contacted by a Valentine’s Day romance scam that felt real or unsettling? Let us know your thoughts by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Technology

Uber Eats adds AI assistant to help with grocery shopping

Published

18 hours ago

February 11, 2026

Press Room

Uber Eats adds AI assistant to help with grocery shopping

Uber announced a new AI feature called “Cart Assistant” for grocery shopping in its Uber Eats app.

The new feature works a couple different ways. You can use text prompts, as you would with any other AI chatbot, to ask it to build a grocery list for you. Or you can upload a picture of your shopping list and ask it to populate your cart with all your favorite items, based on your order history. You can be as generic as you — “milk, eggs, cereal” — and the bot will make a list with all your preferred brands.

And that’s just to start out. Uber says in the coming months, Cart Assistant will add more features, including “full recipe inspiration, meal plans, and the ability to ask follow up questions, and expand to retail partners.”

But like all chatbots, Uber acknowledges that Cart Assistant may make mistakes, and urges users to double-check and confirm the results before placing any orders.

It will also only work at certain grocery stores, with Uber announcing interoperability at launch with Albertsons, Aldi, CVS, Kroger, Safeway, Sprouts, Safeway, Walgreen, and Wegmans. More stores will be added in the future, the company says.

Uber has a partnership with OpenAI to integrate Uber Eats into its own suite of apps. But Uber spokesperson Richard Foord declined to say whether the AI company’s technology was powering the new chatbot in Uber Eats. “Cart Assistant draws on publicly available LLM models as well as Uber’s own AI stack,” Foord said in an email.

Uber has been racing to add more AI-driven features to its apps, including robotaxis with Waymo and sidewalk delivery robots in several cities. The company also recently revived its AI Labs to collaborate with its partners on building better products using delivery and customer data.