LANDFALL: New Commercial-Grade Android Spyware in Exploit Chain Targeting Samsung Devices


Unit 42 researchers have uncovered a previously unknown Android spyware family, which we have named LANDFALL. To deliver the spyware, attackers exploited a zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2025-21042) in Samsung’s Android image processing library.

The specific flaw LANDFALL exploited, CVE-2025-21042, is not an isolated case but rather part of a broader pattern of similar issues found on multiple mobile platforms. This vulnerability was actively exploited in the wild before Samsung patched it in April 2025, following reports of in-the-wild attacks. However, the exploit itself — and the commercial-grade spyware used with it — have not yet been publicly reported and analyzed.

Read more…
Source: Palo Alto Unit 42


Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest cyber security news and insights delivered right to your inbox


Related:

  • Apple alerts users in 92 nations to mercenary spyware attacks

    April 11, 2024

    Apple sent threat notifications to iPhone users in 92 countries on Wednesday, warning them that may have been targeted by mercenary spyware attacks. The company sent the alerts to individuals in 92 nations at 12pm Pacific Time Wednesday. It did not disclose the attackers’ identities or the countries where users received notifications. “Apple detected that you ...

  • Spyware startup Variston is losing staff – some say it’s closing

    February 15, 2024

    In July 2022, someone sent Google a batch of malicious code that could be used to hack Chrome, Firefox, and PCs running Microsoft Defender. That code was part of an exploitation framework called Heliconia. And at the time, the exploits used to target those applications were zero-days, meaning the software makers were unaware of the bugs, ...

  • Hackers uncover new TheTruthSpy stalkerware victims

    February 12, 2024

    A consumer-grade spyware operation called TheTruthSpy poses an ongoing security and privacy risk to thousands of people whose Android devices are unknowingly compromised with its mobile surveillance apps, not least due to a simple security flaw that its operators never fixed. Now, two hacking groups have independently found the flaw that allows the mass access of ...

  • Buying Spying: How the commercial surveillance industry works and what can be done about it

    February 6, 2024

    Private sector firms have been involved in discovering and selling exploits for many years, but there is a rise in turnkey espionage solutions. Commercial Surveillance Vendors (CSVs) offer pay-to-play tools that bundle an exploit chain designed to get past security measures, along with the spyware and the necessary infrastructure, in order to collect the desired data ...

  • A lightweight method to detect potential iOS malware

    January 16, 2024

    In 2021 and 2022, Kaspersky researchers had the privilege of working on a few Pegasus malware infections on several iPhone devices. The iPhones were Initially given to them by their partners for general security checks before the researchers discovered the infections. Investigating such cases can be complicated, costly, or time consuming due to the nature of ...

  • India: Forensic investigation reveals repeated use of Pegasus spyware to target high-profile journalists

    December 28, 2023

    Amnesty International, in partnership with The Washington Post, has unearthed shocking new details about the continued use of NSO Group’s highly invasive spyware Pegasus to target prominent journalists in India, including one who had previously been a victim of an attack using the same spyware. The Security Lab recovered evidence of a zero-click exploit which was ...