Smartphone malware infections in Russia up 70% in a year — because apps are unavailable in official stores
Mobile malware infections in Russia jumped 70% in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier, the Russian business daily Kommersant reported, citing MegaFon’s cyber threat monitoring system. The devices affected are primarily those running Android.
TL;DR
- Mobile malware infections in Russia rose by 70% in the first half of 2026 compared to the previous year.
- Android devices are the primary targets for these infections.
- The Mamont banking trojan is a leading threat, now responsible for 15% of detected infections.
- Approximately 1.5 million Android devices in Russia have been compromised by malware.
- The unavailability of apps in official stores forces Russian users to download from third-party sources, which criminals exploit.
- Fake apps disguised as 'banks' or 'app updates,' and AI tools are used to distribute malware.
- The article was written by a journalist and translated using an AI model, with an editor reviewing the draft.