Hackers Preload Crypto-Stealing Malware on Fake Android Phones: Kaspersky
The Triada Trojan, which compromises messaging apps, steals cryptocurrency, and hijacks calls, has impacted over 2,600 users.
The Triada Malware or Trojan: What is it?
Since its initial appearance in 2016, Triada has developed into one of the most advanced mobile malware threats that target Android consumers.
By gaining root access to compromised devices, the modular Trojan can insert malicious code into system processes like Zygote, which manages the launch of all Android apps.
Because Triada mostly uses the RAM of the device and frequently evades standard security checks, it is quite difficult to detect.
The malware can replace cryptocurrency wallet addresses, steal user credentials from messaging apps like Telegram and TikTok, and even take over the victim’s communications by sending messages on their behalf.
That low-cost smartphone can seem like a good deal, and it might be, but not in the way you had hoped.
These days, low-cost fake phones are being offered with malware preinstalled that targets gullible Android users, stealing cryptocurrencies, changing phone numbers while making calls, and taking over their social media accounts.
In a recent investigation, cybersecurity firm Kaspersky revealed the new method for disseminating the hazardous Triada virus. Due to its ability to infiltrate every smartphone process, Triada has become one of the most sophisticated and serious Android threats since its discovery in 2016.
Hackers have firmly inserted the malware in the system architecture of fake smartphones in its most recent version, making it very challenging to identify and eliminate.
Dmitry Kalinin, a cybersecurity specialist at Kaspersky Lab, stated, “It’s likely that the supply chain is compromised at one point, so stores might not even suspect that they are selling smartphones with Triada.”
Between March 13 and 27, 2025, over 2,600 users encountered the Trojan, with the malware giving attackers “almost unlimited control” over their smartphones, according to the report.
Kaspersky recommends keeping devices updated, installing trusted antivirus software, and avoiding apps from unknown sources to safeguard against these threats.