Telecom
New Android Trojan Hijacks Facebook Accounts
A previously unseen Android Trojan dubbed FlyTrap has targeted at least 140 countries since March this year, spreading to more than 10 000 victims via social media hijacking, third-party app stores, and sideloaded applications.
This was revealed by Zimperium’s zLabs mobile threat research teams, who recently found several previously undetected applications using the company’s z9 malware engine and on-device detection.
After a forensic investigation, the researchers ascertained that FlyTrap is part of a family of Trojans that use social engineering to compromise Facebook accounts. They also believe that bad actors out of Vietnam are running the campaign.
Initially, these Trojans were distributed through both Google Play and third-party application stores. Zimperium zLabs reported the findings to Google, who verified the provided research and removed the malware from the Google Play store.
Unfortunately, they are still available on third-party, unsecured app repositories, highlighting the risk of sideloaded applications to mobile endpoints and user data. Sideloading is the process of downloading and installing apps onto a mobile device from an unofficial source.
What it does
FlyTrap poses a threat to the victim’s social identity by hijacking their Facebook accounts via the Trojan that infects their Android device. The information collected from the victim’s Android device includes Facebook ID, location, e-mail, IP address, and cookies and tokens associated with the accounts in question.
Hijacked Facebook sessions can be used to spread the malware by abusing the target’s social credibility through personal messaging containing links to the Trojan, as well as propagating propaganda or disinformation campaigns using the victim’s geolocation details.
According to the researchers, these social engineering techniques are very effective in today’s digital world and are often employed by attackers to spread malware.
How it works
The malefactors employed a variety of themes they believed users would find appealing such as free Netflix coupon codes, Google AdWords coupon codes, and voting for the best football (soccer) team or player.
At first available through Google Play and third-party stores, the application fooled users into downloading and trusting the application using high-quality designs and social engineering.
Following installation, FlyTrap displays pages that engage the user and elicit a response from them. “The engagement continues until the user is shown the Facebook login page and asks to log in to their account to cast their vote or collect the coupon code or credits,” the researchers say.
However, this is all yet another trick to mislead the user since no voting or coupon code is generated. Instead, the final screen attempts to justify the fake code by displaying a message claiming the “Coupon expired after redemption and before spending.”
The researchers say that although the popular belief is that a phishing page is always at the vanguard of compromising or hijacking an account, there are other ways to hijack sessions, such as by logging into the original and legitimate domain.
This Trojan exploits one such technique known as JavaScript injection. “Using this technique, the application opens the legit URL inside a WebView configured with the ability to inject JavaScript code and extracts all the necessary information such as cookies, user account details, location, and IP address by injecting malicious JS code.”
Exploiting misconceptions
Bad actors often leverage common user misconceptions that logging into the correct domain is always secure regardless of the application being used to log in. “The targeted domains are popular social media platforms and this campaign has been exceptionally effective in harvesting social media session data of users from 144 countries.”
In addition, these accounts can be employed as a botnet for a variety of purposes, including boosting the popularity of pages, sites or products, to spreading misinformation or political propaganda.
Much like any user manipulation, the high-quality graphics and official-looking login screens are popular schemes to trick users into taking action that could reveal sensitive information.
Ongoing threats against mobile devices
According to the researchers, FlyTrap is simply another example of the ongoing, active threats against mobile devices that aim to steal credentials.
“Mobile endpoints are often treasure troves of unprotected login information to social media accounts, banking applications, enterprise tools, and more. The tools and techniques used by FlyTrap are not novel but are effective due to the lack of advanced mobile endpoint security on these devices.”
The company advises to be vigilant for any red flags which might indicate a phone has been hacked or infected with mobile malware, including a battery that runs out too quickly, relentless pop-ups, or strange applications that the user hasn’t downloaded.
In addition, any degradation of performance, or airtime and other cellular charges that make no sense are something to be wary of.
Protecting devices
Zimperium’s zLabs advises users to protect themselves and their devices by only downloading apps or updating apps via official app stores, and never clicking on a WhatsApp or SMS link that attempts to trick the user into updating an app, downloading an app or installing anything.
The company also advises to be aware of mobile phishing, and links to sites that are trying to steal personal information, such as username and passwords. Also, it says to never root or jailbreak a device as this negates the built-in security, and advises to install a good anti-malware app.
Finally, be selective about what is downloaded. Anyone who suspects their device is infected should attempt to remove the suspicious app. They could attempt to go back in time and restore the device as a new device from a previous backup or if it’s still persistent they may need to do a full reset.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has announced the formation of Airbel Ventures, a new humanitarian impact investing fund aimed at accelerating the introduction and scaling of breakthrough technologies in crisis-affected communities.
The fund will invest in companies whose ideas have the potential to change humanitarian response, including digital infrastructure for frontline health systems and climate-resilient agriculture.
The launch of Airbel Ventures follows a period of rapid innovation at the IRC, despite the humanitarian sector facing record funding cuts.
In the past year, the IRC’s Airbel Impact Lab has advanced more than twenty Artificial Intelligence (AI) and technology initiatives—from anticipatory action tools powered by climate and vulnerability data, to frontline service delivery using safe, orchestrated AI systems, to breakthrough diagnostic tools for emerging diseases.
Airbel Ventures’ first impact investment is in Signalytic, a company delivering solar-powered computing devices that ensure reliable electricity and connectivity for remote health facilities.
Following the investment, the IRC will pilot Signalytic’s technology with its Nigeria Health team, demonstrating the viability of next-generation digital infrastructure in humanitarian settings.
“We know breakthrough solutions already exist—what’s missing is the path to scale in humanitarian contexts,” said Dr. Jeannie Annan, Senior Vice President for Research & Innovation at the IRC and head of the Airbel Impact Lab.
MTN Nigeria, the country’s largest telecommunications operator, recorded a historic surge in network disruptions in 2025, suffering 9,218 fibre cuts as of December 31, alongside 211 base station sites affected by theft and vandalism, incidents that disrupted mobile and data services relied upon daily by millions of Nigerians.
The data was revealed by Dr Karl Toriola, chief executive officer/managing director, MTN Nigeria via a social media post titled ‘MTN Nigeria 2025 Wrapped’.
The scale of the damage highlights the growing vulnerability of Nigeria’s telecommunications infrastructure, which has come under increasing pressure from road construction activities, cable theft and deliberate acts of vandalism.
MTN said 5,478 fibre cuts occurred within just the first seven months of 2025, with 760 incidents recorded in July alone, underscoring the intensity of the challenge.
Some of the incidents had wide-ranging consequences, knocking out connectivity across multiple states simultaneously and affecting voice calls, data services, digital payments and enterprise operations.
The company described the situation as a national infrastructure problem, rather than an isolated corporate issue, given the economy’s deep dependence on mobile networks.
“These gaps were shaped by real operational challenges such as fibre cuts, theft, and vandalism. Their impact is felt directly by customers and reflected in what they tell us,” Toriola,
The disruptions were reflected in customer feedback volumes, as MTN handled an unprecedented number of complaints during the year. The operator said it resolved 1,624,263 customer complaints in 2025, spanning call centres, social media platforms, emails and physical service centres nationwide.
Despite the setbacks, MTN pointed to signs of operational resilience. The company retained its ranking as Nigeria’s best network by Ookla, returned to profitability after a challenging period, declared an interim dividend, and expanded its subscriber base to over 85 million users by September 2025.
The figures show that while Nigeria’s telecom operators continue to invest heavily in network expansion and customer service, infrastructure sabotage remains a major drag on service quality and operating costs.
MTN acknowledged that performance improvements remain a work in progress. “We are not where we want to be yet. We see you. We hear you. We exist because of you. And we will get better,” Toriola said.
As the company enters its 25th year of operations in Nigeria, Toriola said MTN is doubling down on customer-centricity, treating every piece of feedback as a guide for improvement, while also stepping up engagement with government agencies.
The CEO renewed calls for stronger regulatory and legal protections for telecommunications infrastructure, urging policymakers to classify fibre cables, base stations and other critical assets as national infrastructure and criminalise vandalism to deter repeat attacks.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has granted operating licences to six new Internet Service Providers (ISPs), effective January 1, 2026, raising the total number of authorised ISPs in the country to 231 from 225 recorded in December 2025.
NCC
The newly licensed firms are Intellvision Technologies Limited, Granet Technologies Limited, Fiber Sonic Limited, Dasol Solution Services Ltd, Boost ISP Limited, and Amazon Kuiper Nigeria Limited.
Five of these companies are headquartered in Lagos, while Granet Technologies Limited operates from Owerri in Imo State, highlighting the persistent concentration of broadband infrastructure in major commercial hubs like Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt.
This development intensifies competition in Nigeria’s broadband market, which faces pressure from dominant mobile network operators such as MTN and Airtel, alongside rapid expansion by satellite providers like Starlink.
Traditional ISPs continue to grapple with shrinking customer bases, aggressive data pricing from telcos, and satellite disruptions, even as NCC data from Q2 2025 showed Spectranet, Starlink, and FibreOne controlling about 65 per cent of the 313,713 active ISP subscribers.
The inclusion of Amazon Kuiper Nigeria Limited marks a significant entry of global satellite broadband competition, building on Nigeria’s recent approvals for other low Earth orbit providers to enhance connectivity in underserved areas.
Industry analysts view the licences as a strategic push to improve internet quality amid rising demand for digital services, though geographic clustering underscores ongoing infrastructure challenges outside urban centres.
NCC’s move aligns with broader efforts to foster a competitive telecoms sector critical to Nigeria’s digital economy ambitions.
PalmPay User Shares Experience on Fintech Apps to Trust in Nigeria
Stakeholders Demand Stronger Governance and Infrastructure to Drive Tech Adoption @ Lagos AI Summit
Nigerians Target Self-Improvement, Business Startups in 2026 Google Data
35 Million Nigerians Face Acute Hunger in 2026, UN Warns
How Inside Jobs and Policy Shocks Trigger Nigeria’s Rising Loan Crisis
Banks quietly move to enforce new ₦50 transfer levy from Jan. 1
Jumia CEO says Black Friday Signals Nigeria’s E-Commerce Maturity
19 Nigerian Banks Meet CBN Recapitalization Targets Ahead of March Deadline
Galaxy Backbone Celebrates the Federal Government’s Paperless Civil Service Milestone
DStv Offers Instant Package Upgrade for Customers from January to February
Telecom3 days agoMTN Nigeria Suffers 9,218 Fibre Cuts in 2025 as Vandalism, Theft Cripple Network
E-Financial2 days agoZenith Bank Gets Regulatory Approval for Full Takeover of Paramount Bank
E-Business2 days agoFirm Detected a Fivefold Surge in QR Code Phishing Attacks in the Second Half of 2025
Telecom2 days agoNew Investment Fund Targets Acceleration of Emerging Technology in Nigeria
News2 days agoNITDA Commits to Digital Inclusion for Persons with Disabilities
General News2 days agoPalmPay User Shares Experience on Fintech Apps to Trust in Nigeria
News2 days agoStakeholders Demand Stronger Governance and Infrastructure to Drive Tech Adoption @ Lagos AI Summit
General News2 days agoNigerians Target Self-Improvement, Business Startups in 2026 Google Data