Cybersecurity researchers from IBM X-Force have revealeddetails about a suspected artificial intelligence-generated malware called Slopoly, which is being used by thefinancially motivated threat actor Hive0163.According to researcher Golo Mühr, the malware demonstrates how attackers canincreasingly rely on AI to accelerate malware development. While Slopoly itselfis not technically advanced, it shows how AI tools can reduce the time requiredto create functional malicious frameworks. The group Hive0163 is known forconducting ransomware attacks and extortion campaigns that involve large-scaledata exfiltration. The group has previously used multiple malicious tools suchas NodeSnake, Interlock RAT, JunkFiction loader, and Interlockransomware to compromise organizations and maintain long-term access totheir systems. In an attack observed in early2026, the attackers deployed Slopoly during the post-exploitation stage of a ransomware campaign tomaintain persistent access to a compromised server for more than a week. Themalware originates from a PowerShellscript generated through a builder, which also creates persistencethrough a scheduled task named “Runtime Broker.” Researchers suspect the scriptmay have been generated using a large language model due to its structuredcoding style, detailed comments, error handling, and clearly named variables.The code identifies itself as a “Polymorphic C2 Persistence Client,” implyingit was designed as part of a command-and-control framework. However,researchers noted that the malware lacks true polymorphic capabilities becauseit cannot modify its own code during execution, although the builder cangenerate multiple variants with randomized configurations and function names. Functionally, Slopoly acts asa backdoor that periodically sends system information to a command-and-controlserver every 30 seconds and checks for new commands every 50 seconds. Thecommands are executed through cmd.exe,and the results are transmitted back to the attacker’s server. The attack chainbegan with a ClickFix socialengineering technique, tricking a victim into executing a PowerShellcommand that downloads NodeSnake. NodeSnake then establishes persistence anddeploys additional malware such as Interlock RAT. Hive0163 has historicallyrelied on ClickFix and malvertising for initial access, as well as partnershipswith initial access brokers like TA569(SocGholish) and TAG-124(KongTuke / LandUpdate808). The emergence of Slopoly joins otherAI-assisted malware families like VoidLink and PromptSpy, highlighting howcybercriminals are increasingly leveraging AI technologies to scale andaccelerate their attack operations.
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