Xenomorph Banking Malware Explained: Concerning Trojan Found in Some Play Store Apps and How It Can Affect Android Users

A new malware that has links to other trojans like Alien has been discovered across Android devices by ThreatFabric.

According to their new blog post, the new Trojan named Xenomorph has already racked up over 50,000 installations on Android devices through the Google Play Store and has already affected users of over 56 European banks.

While its still in the early stages of development, it seems like the malware can cause trouble to unsuspecting users as it can be used to help steal valuable personal information.

In the beginning of February, ThreatFabric discovered #Xenomorph, a brand new Android malware family with ties to another infamous Android malware banking trojan.

Can you guess which one? 😉

Blog-post coming soon. Stay tuned! pic.twitter.com/fPbUEa151s

— ThreatFabric (@ThreatFabric) February 18, 2022

What is Xenomorph Banking Malware?

The name Xenomorph comes from the malware’s connections to another popular banking trojan in Alien, which has caused issues to many users for the past two years. Hence, both trojans have received names from the sci-fi franchise which featured extra-terrestrials.

In the blog post, it’s been stated that Alien and Xenomorph shared similar features, and it seems like the latter could be the successor.

As of right now, it’s been noted that the Xenomorph has yet to reach its full potential as the malware lacks a lot of functionality. However, with more development in the future, it can easily reach the top of the banking trojan rankings.

Even though it hasn’t reached its full potential, users can still be affected by the malware right now, as it’s present in applications like Fast Cleaner, which has been termed as a tool used to boost device speeds by removing junk.

These apps lure victims into granting them accessibility privileges, which in then can be used to steal private information and even intercept SMS and notifications.

In the end, Android users might want to steer clear of harmful malware like Xenomorph as they could cause serious trouble.

So far, there have been no reports of this malware being found in India.