HeroRat was a 2018-reported Android remote-access trojan (RAT) variant that let an attacker issue commands to infected phones through a Telegram bot. Telegram served as the operator’s control and data-exfiltration channel; the reporting does not describe HeroRat taking over victims’ Telegram accounts. Its reported functions included accessing messages and contacts, recording audio or the screen, tracking location, and changing device settings. These are capabilities documented for reported variants and analyzed samples—not proof that every version behaved identically.
What HeroRat was—and what Telegram did
On 18 June 2018, ESET researcher Lukas Stefanko reported that ESET had identified a new Android RAT family spreading since at least August 2017. The family’s source code was posted freely on Telegram hacking channels in March 2018; ESET then described hundreds of parallel variants in circulation. HeroRat was one variant promoted through its own Telegram channel. ESET said it could not determine whether HeroRat was built from the leaked source or was the original version whose code was leaked. ESET’s 2018 report is the basis for that timeline.
Telegram’s role was operational: ESET said the attacker set up and operated a bot to control each compromised device. In the report’s words, “Each compromised device is controlled via a bot, set up and operated by the attacker using the Telegram app.” Commands and stolen data traveled through Telegram, rather than requiring the malware to rely on known upload servers. That was ESET’s explanation of the design, not evidence that the malware was undetectable. The reporting does not say HeroRat hijacked a victim’s Telegram account.
How infection and concealment were reported
Social-engineering lures
Reported lures promised free bitcoins, free internet access, or extra social-media followers. ESET said samples were distributed through third-party app stores, social media, and messaging apps. Its investigation had not found the malware on Google Play; that is an observation from ESET’s 2018 work, not a claim about all later campaigns. The NHS England Digital alert from 2018 also described social-engineering distribution and warned that requested permissions could include device-administrator access.
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Fake failure message and hidden icon
In behavior ESET and ZLAB documented in analyzed samples, the app could show a deceptive notice that it could not run and would be uninstalled. Its icon then disappeared, even though the compromised device remained active and registered to the operator. ZLAB’s August 2018 analysis described an app continuing in service mode after its icon was hidden. A missing icon or apparent uninstall message therefore did not establish that those analyzed samples had stopped running; this behavior should not be assumed for every derivative. ZLAB’s sample analysis provides technical detail.
What operators could reportedly do
ESET and ZLAB documented capabilities in the family and in particular samples. The available functions could vary by variant and sample; the reports do not establish that every infected phone exposed every function.
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- Read or intercept text messages and contacts; ZLAB also reported code for reading SMS and call logs.
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- Record audio and capture the screen.
- Obtain the device’s location and, in ZLAB’s analyzed samples, download files.
- Change device settings.
These are reported surveillance and remote-control functions, not a measured account of how often each was used or how many people were affected.
Why Telegram and Xamarin matter
ESET described HeroRat as implemented in C# with Xamarin and using the TeleSharp library; ZLAB independently identified Xamarin assemblies and TeleSharp in analyzed APKs. The Telegram bot channel carried commands and exfiltrated data. ESET’s explanation was that this approach could avoid depending on traffic to known upload servers. The reports do not establish that Telegram use made detection impossible or that it would evade security tools generally.
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What is known about variants and advertised prices
ESET’s June 2018 account placed the family’s spread at least as early as August 2017 and the public source-code release in March 2018. After that release, ESET described hundreds of parallel variants; NHS England Digital also reported hundreds in its 2018 alert. Those are historical descriptions, not current counts.
ESET reported that HeroRat was advertised with Bronze, Silver, and Gold functionality bundles and that source code was advertised for sale. The quoted figures below are historical advertised amounts from ESET’s 2018 report—not current prices or evidence of a present-day market.
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| Offer described by ESET in 2018 | Reported advertised amount |
|---|---|
| Bronze bundle | US$25 |
| Silver bundle | US$50 |
| Gold bundle | US$100 |
| Source code | US$650 |
What the 2018 evidence can—and cannot—tell you
The cited material supports a historical account of HeroRat and the samples researchers examined. It does not provide a prevalence estimate, victim count, measured infection rate, current campaign status, live infrastructure information, or current detection coverage. Nor does it show that all later versions retained the same features. NHS England Digital labels its alert archived and cautions that it may be outdated or inaccurate, so its advice should be read as historical guidance.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Practical steps if an Android device seems compromised
Reduce the chance of installing a malicious app
- Prefer the official Google Play store, as ESET advised, and review an app’s developer, reputation, and reviews before installing it.
- Check requested permissions before and after installation. Grant only permissions needed for the app’s function; be cautious if a simple utility requests broad access or device-administrator privileges.
- Avoid unsolicited links and attachments, particularly offers promising free connectivity, cryptocurrency, or social-media growth.
The NHS England Digital alert made similar recommendations about trusted app sources, necessary permissions, and unsolicited links, but it is an archived 2018 advisory rather than current incident-response guidance.
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If compromise is suspected
ESET recommended running a reliable mobile-security scan. It listed Android/Spy.Agent.AMS and Android/Agent.AQO as detection names used for the threat at the time. Those historical labels are not a stand-alone diagnosis and do not guarantee that a current scanner will detect every variant. For a managed device, follow your organization’s security-incident process; the archived NHS alert also advised monitoring network, proxy, and firewall logs.
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