Threats Tagged 'download inflation'

A six-month sophisticated campaign targeted quantitative and DeFi developers by distributing malicious npm packages masquerading as legitimate mathematics libraries. The campaign uses encrypted loaders that activate only during specific cryptographic operations, such as solving linear equations with certain matrices. Command and control is conducted via Ethereum Sepolia testnet smart contracts and a secondary Slack channel, enabling encrypted tasking of compromised systems. The threat actors inflated download counts using GitHub Actions workers to build false credibility. Fourteen smart contracts across five wallets managed over 1,000 encrypted taskings. The operation shows advanced operational security including disposable accounts, ephemeral key encryption, and infection markers hidden in license files.