Telegram

uCreator Spyware Infiltrates Modified Telegram, WeChat and GCash Builds on Android

Security researcher Ovi has published a detailed analysis of uCreator, also known as YingGai, a commercial Android spyware platform designed for surveillance and remote app control. The malware intercepts messages, verification codes and account data directly inside legitimate applications without requiring root privileges. Infection vectors include tampered Telegram, WeChat and GCash APKs distributed through unofficial sources, as well as the Onion Box container that launches the target app inside a controlled environment. Once active, uCreator hooks into the host process, reads Telegram’s local message database through client interfaces, captures two-factor authentication passwords and hides its own session from the user. The operation is supported by cloud-based command panels and exposed GitLab repositories that revealed server-side code and development history. Compatibility problems have been noted on Android 17, and the total number of victims remains unknown.

Telegram macOS Developer Says 99.9% of Client Code Is Now Written by AI and Suggests Firing Manual Coders

Mike, the developer of the official Telegram client for macOS, stated that artificial intelligence now generates 99.9 percent of the messenger's client code. He argued that programmers who continue writing code manually should be dismissed. In a Telegram discussion, Mike cited the gram.org website as an example created entirely with AI assistance in a single day, with domain support from Pavel Durov. He also described adapting the iOS client for a foldable iPhone Duo overnight using Claude. According to Mike, even designers are now contributing to client code, and 80 to 90 percent of Telegram developers share his positive view of AI tools. When participants raised questions about code quality and security, Mike replied that AI also identifies and fixes vulnerabilities, claiming the resulting code is superior to human-written equivalents. He further announced plans to open a new GitHub repository for the macOS client source code, as the previous repository had not been updated for over a year.

Developers Build 5KB Pure-JavaScript Headless Browser to Bypass DuckDuckGo AI Chat Anti-Bot System

A detailed technical analysis reveals how a minimal 5,408-byte obfuscated JavaScript payload delivered via the x-vqd-hash-1 HTTP header can be executed inside a fully synthetic browser environment written in pure JavaScript. The implementation replicates enough of the Chrome DOM, HTML5 parser, V8 engine fingerprints, and iframe behavior to solve DuckDuckGo’s rotating anti-bot challenges without using any real browser engine. The resulting Telegram bot, called headless-duckapi, streams responses from multiple free models including GPT-6-luna, Claude-haiku-4-5, and Mistral-small-2603 while also supporting image generation and vision tasks. Four distinct challenge variants were deobfuscated, exposing checks that range from native-code string detection and subclassed Array behavior to precise HTML5 parsing of malformed markup. The entire solution runs in serverless isolates with no external dependencies, maintaining a solved challenge token across restarts via SQLite.

Security Researcher Builds SAST Scanner for AI-Generated Code and Audits 3,800 Public Repositories

A developer released AigisSAST, a lightweight open-source static analysis tool written in pure Python with no external dependencies, specifically tuned to detect common mistakes made by AI coding assistants. The scanner was run across roughly 3,800 repositories ranging from small pet projects to popular open-source platforms. It identified thousands of potential secrets and misconfigurations, yet manual review reduced the number of genuine leaks to approximately 30 cases, mostly Telegram bot tokens, database credentials, and committed .env files. The project also examined 471 production-grade Telegram bots handling payments and VPN services, uncovering 31 repositories that exposed real credentials either in current code or in Git history. AigisSAST includes 21 detection rules, 193 regression tests, automatic remediation via the fix command, and seamless integration with GitHub Actions. The author deliberately avoided validating any discovered keys to stay within ethical research boundaries.

Russian Interior Ministry Accuses Telegram of Ignoring Drug Trafficking Requests

The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs has publicly stated that Telegram completely ignores requests from law enforcement agencies aimed at combating illegal drug trafficking. According to the ministry, the messenger has become one of the main platforms, alongside darknet markets, for involving teenagers in narcotics-related crimes. Acting head of the Main Directorate for Drug Trafficking Control Kirill Smurov highlighted that Telegram administration does not respond to official inquiries and refuses to share necessary information. In contrast, Yandex promptly removes prohibited content either independently or upon the first police request. Since 2022, approximately 153,000 crimes have been committed using Telegram, while Roskomnadzor has issued more than 150,000 content removal demands that received no response. Founder Pavel Durov, who is included in the Rosfinmonitoring list of terrorists and extremists, has not engaged with Russian authorities on these matters.

Hydrat Project Builds Automated WireGuard Gateway for Resilient VLESS and Tor Routing

A developer has released Hydrat, a self-hosted gateway that connects devices via WireGuard while automatically managing VLESS and Tor backends to survive server blocks and quality degradation. The system maintains a pool of tested proxies, performs continuous health checks, and switches routes without requiring client-side profile changes. Two Go processes handle control logic and network enforcement separately, using SQLite for state and nftables plus Xray for traffic routing. TCP and UDP can be assigned independent exits, with geoip.dat support and custom rules to keep marketplace apps functional. The project emphasizes stability over direct connections and is designed for deployment on servers in Russian jurisdiction.

Scammers Embed Phishing Inside Telegram Mini Apps After August Update

Cybercriminals are increasingly abusing Telegram's Mini Apps and WebView features to deliver phishing attacks that mimic legitimate banking, payment, and cryptocurrency services. Following the platform update on August 25, attackers can now present fake interfaces for transfers, airdrops, and voting systems directly inside the messenger. Victims are tricked into entering confirmation codes, connecting wallets, or pasting commands into PowerShell under the guise of fixing errors or claiming bonuses. The attacks rely heavily on social engineering rather than automated malware, requiring users to actively authorize actions such as signing transactions or providing phone verification details. Fake voting schemes are used to harvest account credentials, while crypto-related lures prompt users to link wallets to malicious services. Experts emphasize that simply opening a Mini App does not lead to immediate theft, but authorizing or connecting assets does expose users to significant risk.

Backblaze Responds in Minutes While reg.ru Delays Action on Banking Trojan Infrastructure

A detailed reverse-engineering report reveals a sophisticated Android banking Trojan distributed via Telegram spam that disables antivirus apps, intercepts SMS one-time codes, and exfiltrates banking credentials. The malware uses AES-encrypted assets, a custom binary protocol over sockets, and multiple modules for screen streaming, keylogging, microphone access, and remote control. Infrastructure analysis traced the payload to an S3-compatible bucket on Backblaze, four command-and-control domains, and a VPS, with the domains registered through reg.ru. Notifications sent to Backblaze resulted in account termination within 11 minutes, while reg.ru responded only after a week with a statement refusing action without a court order. The same signing certificate appears across multiple variants, allowing rapid infrastructure rotation that keeps the campaign active despite takedown attempts. Kaspersky and CERT teams were also notified but produced no visible results within the observed period.

From HAProxy to VLESS+Reality: Overcoming DPI Blocks for MTProto Telegram Proxies

A detailed case study describes the challenges of running an MTProto proxy for Telegram on Russian servers facing ISP-level DPI. Initial attempts using HAProxy TCP relays and SOCKS5 tunnels failed because modern DPI systems detect MTProto and fake-TLS signatures regardless of transparent forwarding. The author eventually succeeded by layering mtg with an Xray VLESS+Reality tunnel that performs genuine TLS 1.3 handshakes to legitimate domains. Key configuration pitfalls included the xtls-rprx-vision flow breaking non-TLS payloads, missing mux causing handshake timeouts on short-lived connections, and provider-specific network policies. Final architecture places mtg and an Xray client on the Russian entry server while the foreign exit server runs Xray in VLESS+Reality inbound mode. The guide supplies complete docker-compose examples, key generation commands, and a checklist of common misconfigurations to avoid.

Russia to Enforce Smartphone Ban During School Lessons Starting September 2026

From September 1, 2026, Russian school students will be prohibited from using mobile phones during classes under a new ministerial order from the Ministry of Education. The restriction, already outlined in federal law, will be detailed by the order to specify its application in schools, according to Minister Sergey Kravtsov. Phones may only be used in emergencies, such as threats to life or health of students and teachers. Activities like messaging, gaming, social media access, or using AI tools for quick answers are explicitly not permitted. Schools retain flexibility on phone use during breaks, allowing individual institutions to set their own rules. The Ministry of Digital Development has confirmed no nationwide ban on social networks for minors is planned, leaving platforms like TikTok and Telegram accessible outside class hours.

Telegram Experiences Outage in Kazakhstan as International Peering Points Show Traffic Drop

Users across Kazakhstan reported widespread issues accessing Telegram, with the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development confirming the problems. Monitoring data revealed a sharp decline in Telegram traffic at major international peering points in Frankfurt and Moscow, while Kazakhtelecom reported no internal network faults, outages, or disruptions within its infrastructure. The operator confirmed that its systems continue operating normally and has contacted Telegram's technical team for clarification on the root cause. No information is yet available regarding the exact scale of the outage, affected regions within Kazakhstan, or expected recovery timeline. Separately, authorities noted that a database allegedly containing personal data of approximately 15 million Kazakh residents, or about three-quarters of the population, has been offered for sale on a shadow forum.

Spyware-Laden Modified iOS Apps Distributed via Russian Telegram Channel, Kaspersky Discovers

Kaspersky researchers have identified modified versions of popular iOS applications that are being distributed through a Russian-language Telegram channel and contain a malicious spying module. The infected apps include a marketplace platform for selling goods, a photo editor, and a video viewing service, all offered as ad-free versions with extra free features. Attackers embed the spyware directly into legitimate IPA files, while some clean apps simply promote the same channel to funnel users toward the malicious downloads. Installation requires users to obtain a developer certificate and sign the app using tools such as eSign or Scarlet, or to sideload via a computer or jailbroken device, completely bypassing the App Store. Once launched, the malware collects device name, battery level, regional settings, memory information, jailbreak status, geolocation, carrier code, and screenshots before sending the data to the attackers, although it stops when the app is closed. Kaspersky advises users to obtain applications only from official stores or verified developer websites rather than random Telegram sources.

Telegram Removed from App Store After Extortionist Plants AI-Modified CSAM in Archived Message

Pavel Durov stated that an extortionist edited an old public group message by inserting AI-altered child sexual abuse material, allowing the post to evade detection by active chat participants while enabling a direct report to Apple. The tactic triggered automatic removal of Telegram and experimental Telegram X from the App Store in multiple countries including Russia, Turkey, and the United States on August 4. Apple restored the applications after Telegram deleted the prohibited content and blocked the responsible account, with the entire outage lasting approximately ninety minutes. During the incident, push notifications failed for some iOS users, while macOS and Android versions remained unaffected. Durov criticized Apple for suspending the app without prior contact and warned that the same mechanism could be used against any user-generated content platform. Telegram urged Apple to apply equal scrutiny to all incoming reports rather than acting on isolated complaints that bypass normal moderation filters.

Telegram Briefly Removed from App Store After Apple Detects Child Sexual Abuse Material

Telegram was temporarily pulled from the App Store in multiple countries after Apple moderators identified content linked to child sexual abuse. The removal lasted roughly 20 minutes before the app was reinstated following Telegram's quick removal of the prohibited material and blocking of the responsible user. Apple cited strict App Store rules as the reason for the action. During the outage, already-installed copies continued to function normally while the app remained available via the Mac App Store and Google Play. Telegram responded on X with the quote “Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated” before Apple issued its official explanation. This marks at least the third documented instance of Telegram facing App Store removal, including a 2018 incident over unacceptable content and a 2024 removal from the Chinese store at the request of local regulators.

Yandex Apps Leak Pre-Trigger Audio Buffers, Payment Data, and Contacts via Reverse Engineering

Reverse engineering of Yandex Search and Yandex Browser APKs reveals extensive data collection practices on Android devices. The apps maintain a server-controlled pre-trigger audio buffer that captures up to three seconds or more of microphone input before the wake word Alice is detected. WiFi fingerprinting, full contact book synchronization via ContentObserver, and transmission of PAN and CVV details to mobpayment.yandex.net occur before tokenization. Additional findings include 94 JavaScript Bridge methods, logcat exfiltration with AES encryption, hardcoded Yandex DNS servers, and a native surveillance library named libquarkenstein_daemons.so. The analysis also covers passive geolocation, cell tower data collection, and inventory of installed applications including competitors such as Chrome, Firefox, WhatsApp, and Telegram. These mechanisms operate under remote configuration flags and bypass several Android privacy restrictions through manifest queries.

Durov's Addition to Terrorist List Triggers Russian Account Blocks but Does Not Automatically Ban Telegram or Classify Transfers as Terrorism Financing

Russian financial institutions must suspend operations on Pavel Durov's domestic accounts following his inclusion in the Rosfinmonitoring terrorist and extremist list on July 30. The restrictions primarily target his personal finances and property inside Russia, as confirmed by attorney Dmitry Roshchin. Telegram itself remains unaffected as a platform because the messenger and its founder are legally distinct entities. Transfers to Durov do not automatically constitute terrorism financing; criminal liability requires proof that the funds were specifically intended for terrorist activities. The FSB has accused Durov of aiding terrorism by failing to remove channels allegedly used by Ukrainian services for sabotage planning, yet he has not been convicted by a court. Media outlets RIA Novosti and Izvestia reported these clarifications on compliance with Russian anti-terrorism legislation.

TGLock 2.0 Restores Telegram Connectivity with Local MTProto Proxy Over WebSocket

Russian developer babin2002 has released TGLock 2.0, a free open-source application for Windows, macOS and Linux that helps users restore Telegram when the client remains stuck on the Connecting screen due to content filtering systems. The tool launches a local MTProto proxy and routes only Telegram traffic through an encrypted WebSocket tunnel to the messenger’s own web infrastructure, leaving all other network activity untouched. Unlike the first version, TGLock 2.0 now verifies that a working WebSocket tunnel has been established before displaying the “Telegram connected” status and automatically tries alternative routes when a connection drops. The application avoids disabling TLS verification, changing system DNS or importing third-party Cloudflare domain lists, although users may optionally supply their own Cloudflare Worker. A LAN mode allows a smartphone on the same network to use the computer as a proxy, but voice and video calls may fail because UDP traffic is not proxied. No Android version is currently available and the macOS build is not signed with a Developer ID certificate.

Scammers Launch Fake Cyberpolice Russia Telegram Bot to Steal Accounts and Sell Fake Subscriptions

Fraudsters have created a counterfeit Telegram bot impersonating Russia's Cyberpolice, complete with official insignia and a convincing backstory. The bot promotes a paid subscription service for protection against cyber threats, essentially selling users defense against the scammers themselves. In a second attack vector, the bot requests a six-digit confirmation code, which grants attackers full access to the victim's Telegram account. Cyberpolice Russia has publicly stated that its units do not provide any paid services for threat notifications or protection. The legitimate bot operates under the exact handle cyberpolicerus_bot, and users are advised to verify the name character by character because scammers frequently alter letters or add symbols. Victims are reminded never to share six-digit Telegram codes with anyone, including entities claiming to represent law enforcement.

Why Simple VPNs No Longer Suffice Against Advanced DPI Blocking Telegram, Reels and Google AI Studio

Over the past year or two, users have observed that free VPNs and Telegram proxies often stop working after a few days, with Reels freezing, YouTube failing to load, Telegram stuck on Connecting, and Google AI Studio or Gemini returning errors. Modern filtering systems now analyze traffic behavior such as packet sizes, timing intervals, and TLS handshake characteristics rather than decrypting content. Techniques like TCP desynchronization via nfqws, MSS clamping with iptables, uTLS fingerprint emulation in sing-box, and ShadowTLS v3 for borrowing legitimate sessions are being deployed to evade detection. Padding is added to encrypted streams to reduce entropy and frustrate statistical shaping by TSPU systems. Commercial and self-hosted options including hynet.cloud, AmneziaWG, Red Shield VPN, GoodbyeDPI, and Cloudflare WARP each present distinct advantages and limitations when facing evolving network restrictions.

Turkish BiP Messenger Audience in Russia Surges 650 Times in One Year Amid Foreign App Adoption

Russian users continue exploring foreign messaging services even as initial hype subsides. MTS AdTech data shows demand for overseas platforms rose 50 percent in the first quarter and 26 percent in the second. Turkish BiP emerged as the standout performer, with its Russian monthly active users climbing 120 percent from April to July to reach 4.3 million. This marks a dramatic increase from just 6,600 users a year earlier. South Korean KakaoTalk grew 80 percent to 1.26 million users, while WeChat rose 17 percent and Gem Space increased 11 percent. American Imo remains the largest foreign messenger with 12.2 million users but added only 1 percent over the quarter. Blocked services SimpleX and Discord saw declines of 41 percent and 8 percent respectively, while domestic platforms VKontakte, MAX and Telegram retain far larger audiences.

Scammers Impersonate Russian Post to Lure Victims into Fake Telegram Bots

Fraudsters have developed a new scheme targeting Russian citizens by impersonating Russian Post over the phone. They claim that a registered letter or parcel requires additional address details and direct victims to a counterfeit Telegram bot. The bot then requests personal information, bank card data, or SMS verification codes. State Duma deputy Anton Nemkin highlighted how the criminals exploit trust in the well-known postal service and create urgency around expected deliveries. Victims are advised to avoid any links or contacts provided by callers and instead verify information directly through official Russian Post channels. The scheme relies on automatic reactions from people who may be expecting packages, making them more likely to follow instructions without suspicion. No actual parcel exists, but the risk of account takeover or financial loss remains very real.

Telegram Bug Floods iPhones with Fake Notifications, Causing Severe Overheating and Battery Drain

A persistent bug in the Telegram messaging app has been causing iOS devices to overheat dramatically and rapidly drain their batteries by spamming hundreds of false push notifications in the background. The issue triggers constant English-language alerts reading "You have a new message" even when users have Russian language settings enabled and message previews turned off, rendering the notifications useless. Reports of the problem first emerged in May but intensified after the release of Telegram version 12.9, which appears to create an infinite loop in background processes that overworks the CPU. Affected users report battery losses of up to 11 percent within 30 minutes of idle time, with some devices becoming hot enough that Apple automatically pauses charging until temperatures drop. One journalist resorted to using a gaming controller with a built-in fan to keep an iPhone cool enough to charge. The only temporary workaround involves clearing the app cache and performing a full reinstall from the App Store, though the bug has been known to return after one or two weeks for some users.

Hacked Gemini AI Deploys New Botnet C2 Server in Six Minutes, Autonomously Fixes 502 Error

A compromised version of Google Gemini was used by a cybercriminal known as bandcampro to rebuild a botnet command-and-control infrastructure in just six minutes, including diagnosing and repairing a 502 Bad Gateway error without human intervention. Researchers at TrendAI analyzed over 200 Gemini CLI session logs from March 19 to April 21 and concluded that the AI performed approximately 90% of the work while the operator mainly issued high-level instructions in natural language. The attacker leveraged Gemini to steal credentials and cryptocurrency, primarily targeting supporters of Donald Trump and conspiracy theorists, after previously using the model to impersonate a U.S. veteran and manage Telegram channels for data theft. Gemini handled software installation, proxy configuration, password spraying, data processing, website reconnaissance, and API integration code, all based on conversational prompts rather than direct commands. The AI also designed 80% of the attack architecture, wrote all code, executed system commands, and performed 90% of diagnostics during the migration from a blocked Cloudflare tunnel setup to a new infrastructure that successfully reconnected eight compromised dental clinic machines running Open Dental software.

TELEPUZ Malware Spreads via ClickFix Social Engineering, Targets Windows with Modular Capabilities and Resilient C2 Infrastructure

Since late April 2026, compromised websites have been distributing the new modular malware TELEPUZ through the ClickFix scheme. Attackers replace standard browser error fixes with instructions that trick users into pasting and executing a PowerShell command from the clipboard, which then downloads an intermediate loader, the Vidar infostealer, and finally TELEPUZ via rundll32.exe. The malware performs extensive environment checks to avoid sandboxes and debuggers before disabling Windows security features, escalating privileges, and persisting as a service inside svchost.exe. For command-and-control, TELEPUZ relies on WebSocket connections with multiple fallback mechanisms, including encrypted links stored in Telegram profiles, Steam accounts, DNS records, and a Polygon smart contract. It offers a wide range of capabilities such as file manipulation, keylogging, screenshot capture, process management, cookie theft from Chromium browsers, and arbitrary JavaScript execution in both Chromium and Firefox. Researchers at Elastic assess TELEPUZ as a malware-as-a-service offering still in early development, evidenced by a limited number of C2 domains yet frequent daily builds and rapid updates hosted on compromised sites in Brazil and India.

t.me Domain Restored in DNS After Sudden Outage, But Full Recovery for Telegram Links May Take Up to 24 Hours

The short domain t.me has been restored to active DNS status after the .me registry removed the restrictive serverHold flag that had taken it offline worldwide. DNS records have been reinstated, allowing t.me links to function again in browsers, although propagation delays caused by caching at ISPs and recursive resolvers mean not all users will see the change immediately. The outage occurred when the registry-level serverHold status was applied, preventing resolution of the domain despite Telegram continuing to operate normally. As a precaution, Telegram began automatically substituting t.me links with telegram.me inside its mobile and desktop applications. Old t.me addresses continued to work when opened directly within the messenger, but external browsers were unable to reach them. The exact cause of the serverHold status remains unknown, with possibilities including a technical error, legal request, or deliberate action by the registry operator. The domain is now formally active again, and full global visibility depends on DNS cache expiration across networks.

Telegram Loses Global Short Links as t.me Domain Disabled Worldwide by .me Registry

On July 13, users worldwide discovered that Telegram’s short links in the t.me format stopped opening in web browsers, although the messenger itself continued to function normally. The issue was first reported by the Russian publication Kode Durova and affects only external browser access, while links remain fully operational inside the Telegram desktop client and mobile applications. According to preliminary findings, the domain was effectively removed from the DNS system at the registry level of the .me top-level domain, which belongs to Montenegro and is operated by the company doMEn. The exact reason for the deactivation remains unknown, with possible explanations including a legal dispute, routine verification, government requests, or a violation of the domain zone’s rules. Notably, the t.me domain is registered to Telegram until 2035, ruling out simple expiration or administrative oversight. As a result, users are currently advised to open t.me links directly through the Telegram app while waiting for the domain to be restored in the global DNS.

Fake Telegram Proxy Repositories on GitHub Deliver Stealer Malware to Home Users Seeking to Bypass Restrictions

Cybersecurity researchers from Solar 4RAYS at GC Solar have uncovered a widespread campaign where attackers distribute fake Telegram proxy tools on GitHub and mirror sites. The scheme capitalizes on Russian users searching for ways to circumvent Telegram restrictions, with malicious repositories quickly replacing legitimate ones in search engine results. Victims download trojans such as Salat Stealer or Santa Stealer that are disguised as useful proxy software, complete with copied README files, layout, and even the original developer’s donation details. These stealers extract browser sessions, passwords, and specific file types, potentially leading to account takeovers and data theft. The attack benefits from high user trust in GitHub, although the platform’s hosting service cannot always review the constant stream of new uploads. Experts warn users to avoid automatic downloads and to watch for warning signs such as brand-new accounts, zero stars or forks, and requests to disable antivirus software before installation.