March 12, 2026, 4:29 pm | Read time: 2 minutes
Online banking is convenient and fast–especially on the go with a smartphone. However, Android users should be cautious. The number of attacks on smartphones is rising significantly, and criminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Those who conduct banking transactions via an Android phone are exposing their money to growing risks.
Attacks on Android Are Increasing Rapidly
As the security company Kaspersky explains in the Mobile Threat Report 2025, attacks by banking trojans on Android devices increased by 56 percent in 2024. At the same time, 255,090 new banking trojans were discovered–almost three times as many as the previous year. Security experts are also observing a growing spread of backdoors that are already integrated into new devices. Anton Kivva, Malware Analyst Team Lead at Kaspersky, explains: “Users can buy a seemingly new Android device that is already infected without realizing it. If such a backdoor is integrated into the firmware, attackers can gain almost complete control over smartphones or tablets.”
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Banking Trojans Are Hard to Detect
Banking trojans operate covertly in the background and use various methods to drain accounts. In Germany, the trojan “Trojan-Proxy.AndroidOS.Agent.q” was recently active. It posed as an app displaying discount offers from a supermarket chain. Once on the device, a trojan can steal login credentials, PINs, and TANs, overlay invisible fields on online banking programs and websites, and even send, respond to, or delete SMS messages autonomously. Users usually notice nothing. Often, damage is only detected when money has already landed in criminals’ accounts.
Also of interest: Changes in ATM and supermarket cash withdrawals
Security Updates and App Permissions as Risks
Another issue: Security updates often arrive late or not at all for Android devices, depending on the manufacturer and model. Criminals exploit this to take advantage of vulnerabilities. Additionally, Android allows extensive access to other apps when permissions are confirmed during installation–and many do so without thinking. Virus scanners are often missing or fail to detect banking trojans.
To protect your money, you should be particularly cautious, install apps only from trusted sources, and perform security updates immediately. Awareness of permissions and suspicious activities can also help prevent fraud.