Alessandro

Alessandro Mascellino is a freelance multimedia journalist focusing on emerging technologies. His work has been featured on The Independent, Metro.co.uk, and The Sun, among others. Alessandro's reporting primarily covers technology and cybersecurity topics, as evidenced by his article about the Mandrake spyware that infected over 32,000 devices through Google Play apps from 2022 to 2024. He also authored a newsletter called TÉKUNI, which is about technology in Japan.

Biography:  https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/profile/alessandro-mascellino/

98%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermines the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
Analysis.OverallConflictOfInterestScore * 0.3F + Analysis.OverallBiasScore * 0.3F + Analysis.DeceptivenessScore * 0.3F + Analysis.ReadabilityScore * 0.1F

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

The Daily's Verdict

This author is known for its high journalistic standards. The author strives to maintain neutrality and transparency in its reporting, and avoids conflicts of interest. The author has a reputation for accuracy and rarely gets contradicted on major discrepancies in its reporting.

Bias

100%

Examples:

No current examples available.

Conflicts of Interest

100%

Examples:

No current examples available.

Contradictions

85%

Examples:

  • Mandrake infected over 32,000 devices through five apps on Google Play from 2022 to 2024.
  • The most downloaded app, AirFS, accumulated over 30,000 installations before its removal in March 2024.

Deceptions

95%

Examples:

  • Initially analyzed by Bitdefender in May 2020, Mandrake had operated undetected for at least four years.
  • Mandrake Spyware Infects 32,000 Devices Via Google Play Apps
  • The Mandrake spyware is evolving dynamically, improving its methods of concealment, sandbox evasion and bypassing new defense mechanisms.
  • These applications reportedly remained on Google Play for up to two years, with the most downloaded app, AirFS, accumulating over 30,000 installations before its removal in March 2024.

Recent Articles

New Mandrake Android Malware Variant Evades Detection for Over Two Years on Google Play

New Mandrake Android Malware Variant Evades Detection for Over Two Years on Google Play

Broke On: Monday, 01 April 2024 A new variant of the Android malware Mandrake, which has evaded detection for over two years on Google Play, was discovered in April 2024 by Kaspersky. This latest version uses advanced obfuscation and evasion techniques to avoid detection and communicates securely with its command-and-control server. The malware can steal user credentials and download additional malicious applications, making it a significant threat. Google Play Protect is being updated to better combat these challenges, but users can also protect themselves by updating their devices, being cautious with app permissions, using reputable mobile security solutions, and avoiding unofficial sources.