The attackers create convincing Facebook groups and AI-generated posts promoting local events for seniors. When a target shows interest, operators move the conversation to Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp and push a link to download a so-called community app—usually an APK hosted on a fraudulent domain. Those sites promise event registration and networking features but deliver an installer that either installs Datzbro directly or drops a secondary loader built with an APK-binding service called Zombinder, which helps bypass protections introduced in Android 13 and later. Some evidence suggests the fraudsters are preparing iOS TestFlight lures as well, indicating cross-platform ambitions.
Analysts have cataloged multiple malicious app package names used to distribute the trojan, from innocuous-sounding “Senior Group” and “Lively Years” to variants masquerading as popular Chinese apps or tools. Once installed, Datzbro grants itself extensive permissions and weaponizes Android accessibility services to perform actions on behalf of the attacker. It can record audio, capture photos, harvest files, log keystrokes and overlay semi-transparent screens to hide malicious activity from victims. A distinctive feature is its “schematic remote control” mode, which reports screen layout, element positions and content back to operators so they can reconstruct interfaces remotely and direct the device as if they were looking over the victim’s shoulder.
The trojan also filters accessibility event logs for bank or wallet package names and scans for text resembling PINs, passwords or transaction codes. If it finds credentials in cookies or other storage, Datzbro exfiltrates them to the attackers’ back end; it can even steal lock-screen PINs and compromise popular Chinese payment apps such as Alipay and WeChat. ThreatFabric noted Chinese debug strings and a Chinese-language desktop command-and-control application tied to the campaign, suggesting the authors are Chinese-speaking. A compiled C2 client reportedly leaked to public malware repositories, which may accelerate wider abuse by other criminals.
Datzbro’s discovery comes amid broader mobile-banking malware activity. IBM X-Force has described a related AntiDot campaign called PhantomCall that similarly abuses Android features and sideloaded droppers to bypass modern OS protections, while PRODAFT has documented MaaS-style offerings for actors aiming at global banks. Together, these trends reflect a sustained move toward targeted social engineering that exploits community trust to coax vulnerable users into installing powerful remote-control malware.
The rapid evolution of these threats underscores the need for heightened public awareness—especially among seniors—tighter app-distribution controls, and stronger defenses around accessibility permissions and sideloaded software.
