RATHat

RATHat Trojan Leverages Google Gemini to Infect and Control Android Devices

The banking trojan RATHat has begun using Google Gemini as an assistant to infect Android smartphones and maintain persistence. Researchers at Cleafy report that the malware first disguises itself as a legitimate application and tricks users into granting Accessibility permissions. Once inside, RATHat activates wireless debugging, connects via ADB, and deploys a separate Go-based service running with system-level privileges. Gemini helps the trojan interpret unfamiliar Android interfaces across different versions, languages, and manufacturer skins by analyzing UI structures and suggesting the correct taps. On the attacker side, the same model processes intercepted SMS messages, evaluates bank balances, and ranks compromised devices by financial value. Since April, Cleafy has observed nearly 100 deployments of the command-and-control infrastructure, pointing to a possible malware-as-a-service model. Removing the original APK is insufficient because the Go service survives independently until reboot and can reinstall the dropped payload.