Description

Researchers at Phylum, has reported that malicious NuGet packages have emerged, masquerading as popular crypto wallets, exchanges, and Discord libraries, with over 2 million impersonated downloads. These deceitful packages aim to infect developers with the SeroXen remote access trojan. NuGet, an open-source package manager, serves as a distribution system for developers. The malicious packages, attributed to a user named 'Disti,' were unearthed by Phylum researchers, who issued a warning on October 12, 2023. Moreover, the fraudulent packages hosted in Disti's repository share a common XML file, which downloads 'x.bin,' an obfuscated Windows batch file, orchestrating harmful activities on the compromised system. These packages mimic prominent cryptocurrency projects, exchanges, and platforms, even sporting official logos to deceive users. As of now, six such packages remain accessible: Kraken.Exchange, KucoinExchange.Net, SolanaWallet, Modern.Winform.UI, Monero, and DiscordsRpc, with download numbers that may have been inflated to bolster their apparent authenticity. Disti may have inflated these figures through automated means. The packages feature two PowerShell scripts that execute CMD and Batch files during installation, downloading files from external URLs and ultimately leading to the deployment of the SeroXen RAT, a potent and purportedly legitimate remote access trojan. This tool is sold for $15/month or a $60 "lifetime" purchase, and it has gained notoriety among cybercriminals for its low detection rates and robust capabilities, as reported by AT&T in May 2023.