HUMINT Operations Uncover Cryptojacking Campaign: Discord-Based Distribution of Clipboard Hijacking Malware Targeting Cryptocurrency Communities
A threat actor named RedLineCyber is conducting a cryptojacking campaign distributing a Python-based clipboard hijacking trojan called 'Pro. exe' via Discord communities focused on gaming, gambling, and cryptocurrency streaming. The malware monitors Windows clipboard activity for cryptocurrency wallet addresses and silently replaces them with attacker-controlled addresses to steal funds. It uses obfuscated Python bytecode and base64-encoded regex patterns to detect wallet addresses and targets users involved in live digital asset transactions, including streamers and casino gaming communities. The campaign exploits social trust within Discord to spread and has compromised victims across six major cryptocurrencies. No CVE or known exploits are reported, and the campaign is assessed as medium severity. The malware operates without requiring user interaction beyond initial execution and persists via system mechanisms. European organizations involved in cryptocurrency, gaming, or streaming communities are at risk, especially in countries with high crypto adoption and active Discord usage.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
The RedLineCyber threat actor has launched a sophisticated cryptojacking campaign distributing a malicious executable named 'Pro.exe', a Python-based clipboard hijacking trojan. This malware targets Windows systems and continuously monitors the clipboard for cryptocurrency wallet addresses. Upon detecting such addresses, it replaces them with attacker-controlled wallet addresses, redirecting cryptocurrency transactions to the adversary. The malware is distributed primarily through Discord communities that focus on gaming, gambling, and cryptocurrency streaming, leveraging social engineering and trust within these groups to propagate. Technically, the malware employs obfuscated Python bytecode and base64-encoded regular expressions to identify wallet addresses, complicating detection and analysis. It targets users who frequently handle digital asset transactions during live broadcasts, such as cryptocurrency streamers and casino gaming community members. The malware also establishes persistence on infected systems, likely through standard Windows autorun mechanisms, ensuring continued operation. Although the malware demonstrates moderate complexity, it does not require elevated privileges or extensive user interaction beyond initial execution. The campaign has successfully compromised multiple victims across six major cryptocurrencies, indicating a broad scope of impact. No CVE identifiers or known exploits in the wild are associated with this malware, and the campaign is currently rated as medium severity. Indicators of compromise include several file hashes provided for detection and blocking. The adversary's use of social engineering via Discord and targeting of niche communities highlights the importance of monitoring social platforms as attack vectors. The campaign's focus on clipboard hijacking is a classic but effective technique for cryptocurrency theft, exploiting the common user behavior of copying wallet addresses for transactions.
Potential Impact
For European organizations, especially those involved in cryptocurrency trading, streaming, gaming, or online gambling, this campaign poses a significant financial risk. Clipboard hijacking malware can silently redirect cryptocurrency transactions without the victim's knowledge, leading to direct financial losses. The exploitation of Discord communities, which are widely used across Europe for gaming and crypto discussions, increases the likelihood of infection and spread. Organizations hosting or sponsoring cryptocurrency streamers or gambling platforms may face reputational damage if their users are compromised. Additionally, the malware's persistence mechanisms could allow prolonged unauthorized access, potentially enabling further attacks or data theft. The campaign's targeting of six major cryptocurrencies means that a wide range of digital assets are at risk. Given Europe's growing adoption of cryptocurrencies and active online gaming communities, the financial and operational impacts could be substantial. Moreover, the social engineering aspect complicates detection and prevention, as users may trust links or files shared within their communities. This threat could also affect European cryptocurrency exchanges indirectly if users' wallets are compromised, leading to increased support costs and potential regulatory scrutiny. The medium severity rating reflects moderate technical complexity and impact, but the stealthy nature of clipboard hijacking and social engineering vector elevates the risk profile for affected entities.
Mitigation Recommendations
1. Implement endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of detecting obfuscated Python bytecode and clipboard monitoring behaviors. 2. Deploy application whitelisting to prevent execution of unauthorized binaries like 'Pro.exe'. 3. Educate users, especially those in cryptocurrency, gaming, and streaming communities, about the risks of downloading executables from untrusted Discord links or messages. 4. Monitor clipboard activity on critical systems and alert on suspicious modifications of cryptocurrency wallet addresses. 5. Use multi-factor authentication and hardware wallets for cryptocurrency transactions to reduce reliance on clipboard copy-paste. 6. Regularly audit autorun and persistence mechanisms on Windows systems to detect unauthorized entries. 7. Collaborate with Discord community moderators to identify and remove malicious actors and links. 8. Employ network monitoring to detect unusual outbound connections or data exfiltration attempts associated with the malware. 9. Maintain updated threat intelligence feeds incorporating the provided file hashes to block known malware samples. 10. Encourage cryptocurrency users to manually verify wallet addresses before completing transactions, especially when copied from clipboard. 11. Limit user permissions to reduce malware persistence capabilities. 12. Conduct regular phishing and social engineering awareness campaigns tailored to the gaming and crypto communities.
Affected Countries
United Kingdom, Germany, France, Netherlands, Sweden, Finland
Indicators of Compromise
- hash: 2a87d04e9e7cbff67e8ea4f6315c0ebb
- hash: cf5b2bb53b37087eca18e509b8551ed5cb7575d9
- hash: 0d6e83e240e41013a5ab6dfd847c689447755e8b162215866d7390c793694dc6
- hash: d011068781cfba0955258505dbe7e5c7d3d0b955e7f7640d2f1019d425278087
HUMINT Operations Uncover Cryptojacking Campaign: Discord-Based Distribution of Clipboard Hijacking Malware Targeting Cryptocurrency Communities
Description
A threat actor named RedLineCyber is conducting a cryptojacking campaign distributing a Python-based clipboard hijacking trojan called 'Pro. exe' via Discord communities focused on gaming, gambling, and cryptocurrency streaming. The malware monitors Windows clipboard activity for cryptocurrency wallet addresses and silently replaces them with attacker-controlled addresses to steal funds. It uses obfuscated Python bytecode and base64-encoded regex patterns to detect wallet addresses and targets users involved in live digital asset transactions, including streamers and casino gaming communities. The campaign exploits social trust within Discord to spread and has compromised victims across six major cryptocurrencies. No CVE or known exploits are reported, and the campaign is assessed as medium severity. The malware operates without requiring user interaction beyond initial execution and persists via system mechanisms. European organizations involved in cryptocurrency, gaming, or streaming communities are at risk, especially in countries with high crypto adoption and active Discord usage.
AI-Powered Analysis
Technical Analysis
The RedLineCyber threat actor has launched a sophisticated cryptojacking campaign distributing a malicious executable named 'Pro.exe', a Python-based clipboard hijacking trojan. This malware targets Windows systems and continuously monitors the clipboard for cryptocurrency wallet addresses. Upon detecting such addresses, it replaces them with attacker-controlled wallet addresses, redirecting cryptocurrency transactions to the adversary. The malware is distributed primarily through Discord communities that focus on gaming, gambling, and cryptocurrency streaming, leveraging social engineering and trust within these groups to propagate. Technically, the malware employs obfuscated Python bytecode and base64-encoded regular expressions to identify wallet addresses, complicating detection and analysis. It targets users who frequently handle digital asset transactions during live broadcasts, such as cryptocurrency streamers and casino gaming community members. The malware also establishes persistence on infected systems, likely through standard Windows autorun mechanisms, ensuring continued operation. Although the malware demonstrates moderate complexity, it does not require elevated privileges or extensive user interaction beyond initial execution. The campaign has successfully compromised multiple victims across six major cryptocurrencies, indicating a broad scope of impact. No CVE identifiers or known exploits in the wild are associated with this malware, and the campaign is currently rated as medium severity. Indicators of compromise include several file hashes provided for detection and blocking. The adversary's use of social engineering via Discord and targeting of niche communities highlights the importance of monitoring social platforms as attack vectors. The campaign's focus on clipboard hijacking is a classic but effective technique for cryptocurrency theft, exploiting the common user behavior of copying wallet addresses for transactions.
Potential Impact
For European organizations, especially those involved in cryptocurrency trading, streaming, gaming, or online gambling, this campaign poses a significant financial risk. Clipboard hijacking malware can silently redirect cryptocurrency transactions without the victim's knowledge, leading to direct financial losses. The exploitation of Discord communities, which are widely used across Europe for gaming and crypto discussions, increases the likelihood of infection and spread. Organizations hosting or sponsoring cryptocurrency streamers or gambling platforms may face reputational damage if their users are compromised. Additionally, the malware's persistence mechanisms could allow prolonged unauthorized access, potentially enabling further attacks or data theft. The campaign's targeting of six major cryptocurrencies means that a wide range of digital assets are at risk. Given Europe's growing adoption of cryptocurrencies and active online gaming communities, the financial and operational impacts could be substantial. Moreover, the social engineering aspect complicates detection and prevention, as users may trust links or files shared within their communities. This threat could also affect European cryptocurrency exchanges indirectly if users' wallets are compromised, leading to increased support costs and potential regulatory scrutiny. The medium severity rating reflects moderate technical complexity and impact, but the stealthy nature of clipboard hijacking and social engineering vector elevates the risk profile for affected entities.
Mitigation Recommendations
1. Implement endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of detecting obfuscated Python bytecode and clipboard monitoring behaviors. 2. Deploy application whitelisting to prevent execution of unauthorized binaries like 'Pro.exe'. 3. Educate users, especially those in cryptocurrency, gaming, and streaming communities, about the risks of downloading executables from untrusted Discord links or messages. 4. Monitor clipboard activity on critical systems and alert on suspicious modifications of cryptocurrency wallet addresses. 5. Use multi-factor authentication and hardware wallets for cryptocurrency transactions to reduce reliance on clipboard copy-paste. 6. Regularly audit autorun and persistence mechanisms on Windows systems to detect unauthorized entries. 7. Collaborate with Discord community moderators to identify and remove malicious actors and links. 8. Employ network monitoring to detect unusual outbound connections or data exfiltration attempts associated with the malware. 9. Maintain updated threat intelligence feeds incorporating the provided file hashes to block known malware samples. 10. Encourage cryptocurrency users to manually verify wallet addresses before completing transactions, especially when copied from clipboard. 11. Limit user permissions to reduce malware persistence capabilities. 12. Conduct regular phishing and social engineering awareness campaigns tailored to the gaming and crypto communities.
Affected Countries
Technical Details
- Author
- AlienVault
- Tlp
- white
- References
- ["https://www.cloudsek.com/blog/humint-operations-uncover-cryptojacking-campaign-discord-based-distribution-of-clipboard-hijacking-malware-targeting-cryptocurrency-communities"]
- Adversary
- RedLineCyber
- Pulse Id
- 6969210a4114fbe5ce4cc9e4
- Threat Score
- null
Indicators of Compromise
Hash
| Value | Description | Copy |
|---|---|---|
hash2a87d04e9e7cbff67e8ea4f6315c0ebb | — | |
hashcf5b2bb53b37087eca18e509b8551ed5cb7575d9 | — | |
hash0d6e83e240e41013a5ab6dfd847c689447755e8b162215866d7390c793694dc6 | — | |
hashd011068781cfba0955258505dbe7e5c7d3d0b955e7f7640d2f1019d425278087 | — |
Threat ID: 696a3ee4b22c7ad868a7522f
Added to database: 1/16/2026, 1:36:36 PM
Last enriched: 1/16/2026, 1:51:16 PM
Last updated: 1/17/2026, 4:00:07 AM
Views: 22
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