🔴 RatHat Android Malware Abuses ADB to Retain Shell Access After Uninstall

Cybersecurity researchers have flagged a new Android malware called RatHat that's assessed to be operated by China-based threat actors and features an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered system to navigate and control compromised devices.

"Distributed primarily via targeted smishing (SMS/text phishing) and malvertising campaigns leading to deceptive third-party download portals, RatHat uses an automated multi-stage infection pipeline," Zimperium researchers Gianluca Braga, Vishnu Pratapagiri, and Fernando Ortega said.

"Once deployed, it pairs Accessibility abuse with autonomous local ADB (Android Debug Bridge) self-pairing to break out of the standard Android application sandbox, staging independent native daemons that execute with shell-level privileges."