T1426: System Information Discovery
Adversaries may attempt to get detailed information about a device’s operating system and hardware, including versions, patches, and architecture. Adversaries may use the information from System Information Discovery during automated discovery to shape follow-on behaviors, including whether or not to fully infects the target and/or attempts specific actions.
On Android, much of this information is programmatically accessible to applications through the `android.os.Build` class. [1] iOS is much more restrictive with what information is visible to applications. Typically, applications will only be able to query the device model and which version of iOS it is running.
Security context for executives and security teams
System Information Discovery on mobile devices matters because it helps a malicious app or implant decide what it is running on before taking next actions. On Android, device OS and hardware details are broadly available through android.os.Build; on iOS, applications are more restricted but can typically learn device model and iOS version. For leaders, this is less about the discovery call itself and more about whether the mobile security program can see untrusted apps profiling high-value devices, patch levels, and hardware before follow-on behavior.
Executive priority
Prioritize this as a mobile fleet visibility and readiness issue. The business question is whether security teams can prove which Android and iOS versions, models, and patch states exist across managed devices, and whether risky or unknown applications are allowed to run on sensitive users’ phones. This technique is associated in ATT&CK with multiple mobile malware families and campaigns, so it should inform mobile threat modeling, executive-device protection, incident triage, and audit evidence around mobile inventory and patch governance.
Technical view
Validate coverage across Android and iOS separately. For Android, review whether app analysis, mobile security tooling, or runtime telemetry can identify applications querying android.os.Build or collecting OS, hardware, version, patch, and architecture details, especially when paired with suspicious permissions, recent sideloading, or network transmission of device metadata. For iOS, expect less application-visible detail, but validate monitoring around device model and OS-version collection where telemetry exists. ATT&CK provides no official detection text for T1426, but a related detection strategy object, DET0601, exists; teams should map that strategy to local mobile telemetry before claiming coverage.
Likely telemetry
- MDM/EMM inventory for device model, OS version, patch level, and platform
- Mobile threat defense or mobile EDR events, if deployed
- Application vetting/static analysis results for Android use of android.os.Build and related device-fingerprinting logic
- Runtime app behavior telemetry where available
- Network telemetry showing apps transmitting device model, OS version, patch, architecture, or similar metadata
Detection direction
- Treat standalone system-information collection as low-fidelity because legitimate mobile apps often collect device model and OS version for compatibility, support, and analytics.
- Increase confidence by correlating discovery with suspicious app provenance, excessive permissions, obfuscation, unusual outbound communication, or other mobile ATT&CK behaviors.
- Separate Android and iOS logic: Android exposes more system details programmatically, while iOS restricts most app-visible system information to model and OS version.
- Use ATT&CK relationship context to prioritize tests against mobile malware behaviors that use this technique, but do not infer local exposure without matching telemetry.
- Account for the revoked Device Type Discovery technique T1419 being consolidated into T1426 when maintaining older detection content or reporting mappings.
Mitigation priorities
- Maintain accurate mobile asset inventory, including OS version, device model, and patch posture for Android and iOS fleets.
- Prioritize mobile OS and security patch governance, especially for users and functions where mobile compromise would affect business continuity or sensitive access.
- Reduce exposure to untrusted applications through managed app distribution, application vetting, and controls on sideloading where organizational policy and platform capability allow.
- Use mobile security monitoring for high-risk users and devices, with response playbooks for suspicious apps collecting and transmitting device metadata.
- Align incident response procedures so responders can quickly determine device model, OS version, installed applications, and management status during mobile investigations.
Additional notes and limits
The relationship set is broad: campaigns, groups, and many mobile malware/software entries are linked as using this behavior, including Android and iOS examples. That makes T1426 useful for coverage validation and threat-informed mobile testing, but the behavior is common enough that detection must be correlation-driven. The Android-specific android.os.Build reference is a key technical anchor. iOS visibility should be scoped conservatively because the ATT&CK description states that iOS is more restrictive.
ATT&CK does not provide official detection guidance or tactics for this object in the supplied fields. The relationship data supports that the behavior is used by multiple mobile threats, but it does not establish current activity, customer exposure, or guaranteed detectability. Local conclusions require mobile management coverage, app inventory, device telemetry, and network evidence from the environment.
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
System Information Discovery
Adversaries may attempt to get detailed information about a device’s operating system and hardware, including versions, patches, and architecture. Adversaries may use the information from System Information Discovery during automated discovery to shape follow-on behaviors, including whether or not to fully infects the target and/or attempts specific actions.
On Android, much of this information is programmatically accessible to applications through the `android.os.Build` class. [1] iOS is much more restrictive with what information is visible to applications. Typically, applications will only be able to query the device model and which version of iOS it is running.
How security teams should use this page
Treat this object as behavior context, not an attribution claim. Validate the related groups, software, data sources, and mitigations against official ATT&CK relationships and your own telemetry before making control-coverage decisions.
Related techniques
This mirrors the MITRE pattern of making group, software, campaign, and technique relationships scannable. Relationship notes come from mirrored ATT&CK relationship text when available.
| Domain | ID | Name | Relationship / procedure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile | T1419 | Device Type Discovery | Device Type Discovery revoked by this object. |
Groups, software, and campaigns
G0112: Windshift
S0318: XLoader for Android
XLoader for Android is a malicious Android app first observed targeting Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong in 2018. It has more recently been observed targeting South Korean users as a pornography application.[1][2] It is tracked separately from the XLoader for iOS.
S0288: KeyRaider
S1083: Chameleon
Chameleon is an Android banking trojan that can leverage Android’s Accessibility Services to perform malicious activities. Believed to have been first active in January 2023, Chameleon has been observed targeting users in Australia and Poland by masquerading as official applications. A new variant of Chameleon has expanded its targets to include Android users in the United Kingdom and Italy.[1][2]
S0535: Golden Cup
Golden Cup is Android spyware that has been used to target World Cup fans.[1]
S0463: INSOMNIA
S0555: CHEMISTGAMES
CHEMISTGAMES is a modular backdoor that has been deployed by Sandworm Team.[1]
S0525: Android/AdDisplay.Ashas
Android/AdDisplay.Ashas is a variant of adware that has been distributed through multiple apps in the Google Play Store. [1]
S9005: DocSwap
DocSwap is an Android malware first identified in 2025, and attributed to Kimsuky. DocSwap’s name is a combination of its Korean name “문서열람 인증 앱” (Document Viewing Authentication App) and a phishing page masquerading as CoinSwap at the C2 address. Based on DocSwap’s name and Korean-language strings, DocSwap potentially targets mobile device users in South Korea. Several variants of DocSwap exist; one of the latest samples indicates that the adversary added a native decryption function that decrypts an internal APK.[1][2]
S0418: ViceLeaker
ViceLeaker is a spyware framework, capable of extensive surveillance and data exfiltration operations, primarily targeting devices belonging to Israeli citizens.[1][2]
S0490: XLoader for iOS
XLoader for iOS is a malicious iOS application that is capable of gathering system information.[1] It is tracked separately from the XLoader for Android.
S0540: Asacub
S1056: TianySpy
C0033: C0033
C0033 was a PROMETHIUM campaign during which they used StrongPity to target Android users. C0033 was the first publicly documented mobile campaign for PROMETHIUM, who previously used Windows-based techniques.[1]
C0054: Operation Triangulation
Operation Triangulation is a mobile campaign targeting iOS devices.[1] The unidentified actors used zero-click exploits in iMessage attachments to gain Initial Access, then executed exploits and validators, such as Binary Validator before finally executing the TriangleDB implant.
All related ATT&CK context
Object version and sync metadata
The fields below describe the current mirrored snapshot. When Glexia retains multiple ATT&CK source imports, you can open the table to compare the same object across releases (hashes and MITRE timestamps). For MITRE’s own release notes and roadmap, see ATT&CK resources — Updates.
Imported snapshots across ATT&CK releases(1)
| Release | Bundle imported | Object version | Modified | Status | Raw hash |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19.1 | 1.2 | Current bundle | aae030f3c199… |
Mirrored ATT&CK source object
The raw object is retained through the mirrored ATT&CK source bundle and object hash. The raw endpoint returns the exact object from the mirrored bundle when available.
External references and citations
MITRE external references are preserved separately from Glexia analysis so citations remain traceable to their original source records.
- [1]Android-Build
Android. (n.d.). Build. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
Open source URL - [2]TrendMicro-XLoader-FakeSpy
Hiroaki, H., Wu, L., Wu, L.. (2019, April 2). XLoader Disguises as Android Apps, Has FakeSpy Links. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
Open source URL - [3]Xiao-KeyRaider
Claud Xiao. (2015, August 30). KeyRaider: iOS Malware Steals Over 225,000 Apple Accounts to Create Free App Utopia. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
- [4]cyble_chameleon_0423
Cyble Research & Intelligence Labs. (2023, April 13). Banking Trojan targeting mobile users in Australia and Poland. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
Open source URL - [5]ThreatFabric_Chameleon_Dec2023
ThreatFabric. (2023, December 21). Android Banking Trojan Chameleon can now bypass any Biometric Authentication. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
Open source URL - [6]Symantec GoldenCup
R. Iarchy, E. Rynkowski. (2018, July 5). GoldenCup: New Cyber Threat Targeting World Cup Fans. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
Open source URL - [7]Google Project Zero Insomnia
I. Beer. (2019, August 29). Implant Teardown. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
Open source URL - [8]CYBERWARCON CHEMISTGAMES
B. Leonard, N. Mehta. (2019, November 21). The Secret Life of Sandworms. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
Open source URL - [9]WeLiveSecurity AdDisplayAshas
L. Stefanko. (2019, October 24). Tracking down the developer of Android adware affecting millions of users. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
Open source URL - [10]EnkiWhiteHat_KimsukyDOCSWAP_Dec2025
EnkiWhiteHat. (2025, December 16). Kimsuky Distributing Malicious Mobile App via QR Code. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
Open source URL - [11]S2W_DocSwap_Mar2025
Kim, H., S2W TALON. (2025, March 13). Detailed Analysis of DocSwap Malware Disguised as Security Document Viewer. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
Open source URL - [12]SecureList - ViceLeaker 2019
GReAT. (2019, June 26). ViceLeaker Operation: mobile espionage targeting Middle East. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
Open source URL - [13]Securelist Asacub
T. Shishkova. (2018, August 28). The rise of mobile banker Asacub. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
Open source URL - [14]trendmicro_tianyspy_0122
Trend Micro. (2022, January 25). TianySpy Malware Uses Smishing Disguised as Message From Telco. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
Open source URL - [15]Lookout eSurv
A. Bauer. (2019, April 8). Lookout discovers phishing sites distributing new iOS and Android surveillanceware. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
Open source URL - [16]Cofense Anubis
M. Feller. (2020, February 5). Infostealer, Keylogger, and Ransomware in One: Anubis Targets More than 250 Android Applications. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
Open source URL - [17]lookout_hornbill_sunbird_0221
Apurva Kumar, Kristin Del Rosso. (2021, February 10). Novel Confucius APT Android Spyware Linked to India-Pakistan Conflict. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
Open source URL - [18]securelist_brata_0819
Securelist. (2019, August 29). Fully equipped Spying Android RAT from Brazil: BRATA. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
Open source URL - [19]threatfabric_sova_0921
ThreatFabric. (2021, September 9). S.O.V.A. - A new Android Banking trojan with fowl intentions. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
Open source URL - [20]Lookout ViperRAT
M. Flossman. (2017, February 16). ViperRAT: The mobile APT targeting the Israeli Defense Force that should be on your radar. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
Open source URL - [21]BlackBerry Bahamut
The BlackBerry Research & Intelligence Team. (2020, October). BAHAMUT: Hack-for-Hire Masters of Phishing, Fake News, and Fake Apps. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
Open source URL - [22]Lookout Desert Scorpion
A. Blaich, M. Flossman. (2018, April 16). Lookout finds new surveillanceware in Google Play with ties to known threat actor targeting the Middle East. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
Open source URL - [23]SecureList DVMap June 2017
R. Unuchek. (2017, June 8). Dvmap: the first Android malware with code injection. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
Open source URL - [24]Lookout Uyghur Campaign
A. Kumar, K. Del Rosso, J. Albrecht, C. Hebeisen. (2020, June 1). Mobile APT Surveillance Campaigns Targeting Uyghurs - A collection of long-running Android tooling connected to a Chinese mAPT actor. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
Open source URL - [25]Lookout-Pegasus
Lookout. (2016). Technical Analysis of Pegasus Spyware. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
Open source URL - [26]Kaspersky Riltok June 2019
Tatyana Shishkova. (2019, June 25). Riltok mobile Trojan: A banker with global reach. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
Open source URL - [27]K7Dhanalakshmi_VajraSpy_April2022
Dhanalakshmi. (2022, April 19). VajraSpy – An Android RAT. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
Open source URL - [28]Kaspersky-WUC
Costin Raiu, Denis Maslennikov, Kurt Baumgartner. (2013, March 26). Android Trojan Found in Targeted Attack. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
Open source URL - [29]Cybereason FakeSpy
O. Almkias. (2020, July 1). FakeSpy Masquerades as Postal Service Apps Around the World. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
Open source URL - [30]Zscaler TikTok Spyware
S. Desai. (2020, September 8). TikTok Spyware. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
Open source URL - [31]ZimperiumGupta_RatMilad_Oct2022
Gupta, N. (2022, October 5). We Smell A RatMilad Android Spyware. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
Open source URL - [32]Cybereason EventBot
D. Frank, L. Rochberger, Y. Rimmer, A. Dahan. (2020, April 30). EventBot: A New Mobile Banking Trojan is Born. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
Open source URL - [33]Lookout Dark Caracal Jan 2018
Blaich, A., et al. (2018, January 18). Dark Caracal: Cyber-espionage at a Global Scale. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
Open source URL - [34]SecurityIntelligence TrickMo
P. Asinovsky. (2020, March 24). TrickBot Pushing a 2FA Bypass App to Bank Customers in Germany. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
Open source URL - [35]fb_arid_viper
Flossman, M., Scott, M. (2021, April). Technical Paper // Taking Action Against Arid Viper. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
Open source URL - [36]Palo Alto HenBox
A. Hinchliffe, M. Harbison, J. Miller-Osborn, et al. (2018, March 13). HenBox: The Chickens Come Home to Roost. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
Open source URL - [37]lookout_bouldspy_0423
Kyle Schmittle, Alemdar Islamoglu, Paul Shunk, Justin Albrecht. (2023, April 27). Lookout Discovers Android Spyware Tied to Iranian Police Targeting Minorities: BouldSpy. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
Open source URL - [38]lookout_abstractemu_1021
P Shunk, K Balaam. (2021, October 28). Rooting Malware Makes a Comeback: Lookout Discovers Global Campaign. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
Open source URL - [39]TrendMicro-Anserver2
Karl Dominguez. (2011, September 27). ANDROIDOS_ANSERVER.A. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
Open source URL - [40]Talos Gustuff Apr 2019
Vitor Ventura. (2019, April 9). Gustuff banking botnet targets Australia . Retrieved September 3, 2019.
Open source URL - [41]Threat Fabric Cerberus
Threat Fabric. (2019, August). Cerberus - A new banking Trojan from the underworld. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
Open source URL - [42]CheckPoint Cerberus
A. Hazum, B. Melnykov, C. Efrati, D. Golubenko, I. Wernik, L. Kuperman, O. Mana. (2020, April 29). First seen in the wild – Malware uses Corporate MDM as attack vector. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
Open source URL - [43]TrendMicro Coronavirus Updates
T. Bao, J. Lu. (2020, April 14). Coronavirus Update App Leads to Project Spy Android and iOS Spyware. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
Open source URL - [44]welivesec_strongpity
Stefanko, L. (2023, January 10). StrongPity espionage campaign targeting Android users. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
Open source URL - [45]FireEye-RuMMS
Wu Zhou, Deyu Hu, Jimmy Su, Yong Kang. (2016, April 26). RUMMS: THE LATEST FAMILY OF ANDROID MALWARE ATTACKING USERS IN RUSSIA VIA SMS PHISHING. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
Open source URL - [46]Talos GPlayed
V. Ventura. (2018, October 11). GPlayed Trojan - .Net playing with Google Market . Retrieved November 24, 2020.
Open source URL - [47]Lookout-Monokle
Bauer A., Kumar A., Hebeisen C., et al. (2019, July). Monokle: The Mobile Surveillance Tooling of the Special Technology Center. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
Open source URL - [48]SecureList OpTriangulation 01Jun2023
Kuznetsov, I., et al. (2023, June 1). Operation Triangulation: iOS devices targeted with previously unknown malware. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
Open source URL - [49]Lookout FrozenCell
Michael Flossman. (2017, October 5). FrozenCell: Multi-platform surveillance campaign against Palestinians. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
Open source URL - [50]welivesecurity_ahrat_0523
Lukas Stefanko. (2023, May 23). Android app breaking bad: From legitimate screen recording to file exfiltration within a year. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
Open source URL - [51]ZimperiumOrtegaPratapagiri_GodFather_Jun2025
Ortega, F. Pratapagiri, V. (2025, June 18). Your Mobile App, Their Playground: The Dark Side of Virtualization. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
Open source URL - [52]MerkleScience_Godfather_April2023
Merkle Science. (2023, April 25). The Godfather Android Malware: Threat under the lens. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
Open source URL - [53]Trend Micro Bouncing Golf 2019
E. Xu, G. Guo. (2019, June 28). Mobile Cyberespionage Campaign ‘Bouncing Golf’ Affects Middle East. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
Open source URL - [54]Threat Fabric Exobot
Threat Fabric. (2017, February). Exobot - Android banking Trojan on the rise. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
Open source URL - [55]LinkedIn Dmitry LightSpy 2025
Dmitry Bestuzhev. (2025, April 7). The Coordinated Kill Switch: LightSpy's iOS Destructive Plugin Architecture Manages Device Disablement. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
Open source URL - [56]Threatfabric LightSpy 2024
ThreatFabric. (2024, October 29). LightSpy: Implant for iOS. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
Open source URL - [57]Threatfabric LightSpy 2023
ThreatFabric. (2023, October 2). LightSpy mAPT Mobile Payment System Attack. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
Open source URL - [58]MelikovBlackBerry LightSpy 2024
Melikov, D. (2024, April 11). LightSpy Returns: Renewed Espionage Campaign Targets Southern Asia, Possibly India. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
Open source URL - [59]Wandera-RedDrop
Nell Campbell. (2018, February 27). RedDrop: the blackmailing mobile malware family lurking in app stores. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
Open source URL - [60]Bitdefender Mandrake
R. Gevers, M. Tivadar, R. Bleotu, A. M. Barbatei, et al.. (2020, May 14). Uprooting Mandrake: The Story of an Advanced Android Spyware Framework That Went Undetected for 4 Years. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
Open source URL - [61]securelist rotexy 2018
T. Shishkova, L. Pikman. (2018, November 22). The Rotexy mobile Trojan – banker and ransomware. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
Open source URL - [62]paloalto_yispecter_1015
Claud Xiao. (2015, October 4). YiSpecter: First iOS Malware That Attacks Non-jailbroken Apple iOS Devices by Abusing Private APIs. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
Open source URL - [63]Android-Build
Android. (n.d.). Build. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
Open source URL - [64]NIST Mobile Threat CatalogueAPP-12Open source URL
- [65]NIST Mobile Threat CatalogueAPP-12Open source URL
- [66]mitre-attackT1426Open source URL
- [67]mitre-attackT1426Open source URL
- [68]TrendMicro-XLoader-FakeSpy
Hiroaki, H., Wu, L., Wu, L.. (2019, April 2). XLoader Disguises as Android Apps, Has FakeSpy Links. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
Open source URL - [69]lookout_hornbill_sunbird_0221
Apurva Kumar, Kristin Del Rosso. (2021, February 10). Novel Confucius APT Android Spyware Linked to India-Pakistan Conflict. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
Open source URL - [70]Lookout Uyghur Campaign
A. Kumar, K. Del Rosso, J. Albrecht, C. Hebeisen. (2020, June 1). Mobile APT Surveillance Campaigns Targeting Uyghurs - A collection of long-running Android tooling connected to a Chinese mAPT actor. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
Open source URL - [71]Lookout Uyghur Campaign
A. Kumar, K. Del Rosso, J. Albrecht, C. Hebeisen. (2020, June 1). Mobile APT Surveillance Campaigns Targeting Uyghurs - A collection of long-running Android tooling connected to a Chinese mAPT actor. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
Open source URL
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