Malicious NuGet packages have been discovered distributing the SeroXen remote access trojan, infecting developers with a dangerous threat. These deceitful packages, with over 2 million reported downloads, impersonate crypto wallets, crypto exchanges, and Discord libraries. Researchers from Phylum uncovered these threats, warning the development community about the malware.
Furthermore, NuGet, an open-source package manager for software distribution, hosts packages for developers to use in their projects. The packages were uploaded by a user known as ‘Disti’ and have been found to contain the same XML file that downloads an obfuscated Windows batch file (‘x.bin’). These packages mimic well-known cryptocurrency projects, exchanges, and platforms, including official logos to deceive users.
Additionally, the six packages uploaded by ‘Disti’ are purportedly as follows: Kraken.Exchange (635k downloads), KucoinExchange.Net (635k downloads), SolanaWallet (600k downloads), Modern.Winform.UI (100k downloads), Monero (100k downloads), and DiscordsRpc (75k downloads). Researchers believe that the download numbers have been inflated, making the packages seem more credible.
These malicious packages employ two PowerShell scripts to execute CMD and Batch files during installation on victims’ computers. The scripts download files from external URLs and execute them, with a final script decrypting and decompressing an encoded payload. This payload, as identified by Phylum, is the SeroXen RAT, which is sold on the dark web and has gained popularity among cybercriminals due to its low detection rates and potent capabilities.
