Pierluigi Paganini
March 28, 2025
Russian authorities arrested three suspects in Saratov for developing Mamont (Russian for mammoth), a recently discovered Android banking trojan.
“Three Saratov residents are suspected of fraud and unauthorized access to computer information. Officers from the fraud prevention department of PJSC Sberbank assisted in the investigation.” reads the announcement published on Telegram by the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD).
“Preliminary findings indicate that the suspects developed malware called “Mamont,” which they distributed via Telegram channels under the guise of safe mobile applications and video files. Once a device was infected, the perpetrators could use SMS banking services to transfer money from victims’ bank cards to mobile operator accounts and electronic wallets under their control.”
The authorities linked the three suspects to over 300 cybercrimes, the police seized servers, computers, storage devices, and bank cards.
Mamont spreads via Telegram, Mamont malware is delivered through Telegram channels. Crooks typically disguise the malicious code as legitimate mobile apps or video files.
Mamont malware enables fund transfers via SMS banking, routing stolen money to phone numbers and electronic wallets controlled by criminals.
The malware can steal banking credentials, push notifications, and other financial information.
Mamont can also spread to contacts in the victim’s messenger app.
Scammers lure victims with fake online stores, directing them to a Telegram chat. They send a fake tracking app, which is actually Mamont malware, to steal banking data.
“The attackers claim to sell various products at fairly attractive prices via number of websites. To make a purchase, the victim is asked to join a private Telegram messenger chat, where instructions for placing an order are posted. In essence, these instructions boil down to the fact that the victim needs to write a private message to the manager.” reads a report published by Kaspersky. “The channel itself exists to make the scheme look more convincing: participants of this chat ask clarifying questions, receive answers, and comment on things. Probably, there are both other victims of the same scheme and bots that create the appearance of active trading in this chat.”
Russian authorities in Saratov have launched criminal cases under Articles 159.6 and 272 of the Criminal Code, blocking resources linked to the scheme. The suspects face travel restrictions and legal conduct orders. Law enforcement continues investigating all related crimes and accomplices.
Follow me on Twitter: @securityaffairs and Facebook and Mastodon
(SecurityAffairs – hacking, Mamont)
