CloudZ malware abuses Microsoft Phone Link to steal SMS and OTPs

A new version of the CloudZ remote access tool (RAT) is deploying a previously unseen malicious plugin called Pheno that hijacks the Microsoft Phone Link connection to steal sensitive codes from mobile devices.

BleepingComputer

πŸ”— "Microsoft chiarisce la rimozione di Phone Link, sottolineando l'importanza delle evoluzioni per migliorare l'esperienza utente". #Microsoft #PhoneLink

πŸ”— https://www.tomshw.it/hardware/microsoft-spiega-perche-ha-rimosso-phone-link-2026-04-13

Microsoft spiega perchΓ© ha rimosso Phone Link

Microsoft ha eliminato l'attivazione telefonica di Windows senza preavviso, lasciando senza alternative offline milioni di utenti e amministratori di sistema.

Tom's Hardware

"As a Windows user, I'd like useful notifications from my app to show up on my PC."

"As the Phone Link app PM, I am incentivized to spam the user with reactivation messages to meet my MAU KPI and not get laid off from Microsoft."

Conflict of interests. And lack of patience for this god damn πŸ’©.

#Windows #PhoneLink #notifications #spam