EvilAI Malware Campaign Targets Multiple Sectors Globally

A fraudulent ad operation, SlopAds, has been identified, exploiting 224 Android apps to generate 2.3 billion ad bids daily. The apps, collectively downloaded 38 million times across 228 countries, use steganography and hidden WebViews to create fraudulent ad impressions and clicks. The operation was disrupted after Google removed the offending apps from the Play Store. The SlopAds campaign is notable for its sophisticated tactics, including conditional fraud execution and the use of AI-themed services for command and control. The fraudulent behavior is triggered only when apps are downloaded via ad clicks, making detection more challenging. The campaign's infrastructure includes multiple domains and a complex feedback loop designed to evade security researchers. The campaign's highest concentration of ad impressions originated from the United States (30%), followed by India (10%) and Brazil (7%).

A new FileFix social engineering campaign impersonates Meta account suspension warnings to trick users into installing the StealC infostealer malware. The attack uses steganography to hide malicious scripts and executables within a JPG image. The campaign targets various credentials, cryptocurrency wallets, and cloud services. The FileFix technique abuses the File Explorer address bar to execute PowerShell commands, bypassing traditional detection methods. The attack was discovered by Acronis and observed over a two-week period, with multiple variants using different payloads and domains. The StealC malware aims to steal sensitive information from infected devices, including browser credentials, messaging app data, and cryptocurrency wallets. The FileFix technique was created by red team researcher mr.d0x and has been previously used by the Interlock ransomware gang. The attack uses a multilingual phishing site to trick users into copying and pasting a malicious command into the File Explorer address bar. The campaign abuses Bitbucket repositories to host malicious components, leveraging trust in the platform to bypass detection. The FileFix campaign is the most widespread, customized, and sophisticated to date, targeting users in over 16 countries. The phishing site has been translated into at least 16 different languages. The attack chain involves a phishing email impersonating Facebook security, warning users of account suspension. The attack uses AI-generated images in the steganography process. The FileFix technique is more elegant and less suspicious than ClickFix, using File Explorer instead of the Run dialog. The FileFix attack offers a broader range of high-value targets due to its use of File Explorer. Security researcher Eliad Kimhy predicts an increase in FileFix attacks in the near future. The FileFix attack involves a fake Cloudflare Turnstile verification page that redirects users to a Windows File Explorer search query. The attack uses a Windows shortcut LNK file disguised as a PDF to initiate the infection chain. The LNK file downloads a legitimate AnyDesk installer and a malicious MSI package that installs MetaStealer. The MSI package contains a DLL and a CAB archive with malicious files, including a MetaStealer dropper. The MetaStealer dropper is protected with Private EXE Protector and is designed to steal cryptocurrency wallets. The attack leverages the Windows search protocol to redirect users to an attacker-controlled SMB share. The FileFix attack has evolved to include a more sophisticated infection chain that bypasses traditional detection methods. The attack uses a multi-stage process involving Windows File Explorer, a fake PDF lure, and an MSI package to deploy MetaStealer. The FileFix attack has been observed to use a combination of social engineering and advanced technical techniques to evade detection.

A supply chain attack targeting the npm registry has compromised over 700 packages maintained by multiple developers. The attack uses a malicious script (bundle.js) to steal credentials from developer machines. The compromised packages include various npm modules used in different projects. The attack is capable of targeting both Windows and Linux systems. The malicious script scans for secrets using TruffleHog's credential scanner and transmits them to an external server controlled by the attackers. Developers are advised to audit their environments and rotate credentials if the affected packages are present.

A new ransomware variant, HybridPetya, has been discovered. It resembles the Petya/NotPetya malware but includes the ability to bypass UEFI Secure Boot using the CVE-2024-7344 vulnerability. HybridPetya encrypts the Master File Table (MFT) on NTFS-formatted partitions and can compromise modern UEFI-based systems. The ransomware operates through a bootkit and an installer, with the bootkit managing encryption and decryption processes. The ransomware has been observed in samples uploaded to VirusTotal in February 2025, with no evidence of active use in the wild. The vulnerability exploited by HybridPetya was patched in January 2025. The ransomware encrypts the MFT and displays a fake CHKDSK message to deceive victims. It demands a $1,000 ransom in Bitcoin, with a total of $183.32 received between February and May 2025. The ransom note provides an option for victims to enter a decryption key after payment, which triggers the decryption process. The bootkit also recovers legitimate bootloaders from backups created during installation. The ransomware triggers a system crash during bootloader changes, ensuring the bootkit binary is executed upon reboot. HybridPetya may be a research project, proof-of-concept, or early version of a cybercrime tool under limited testing. HybridPetya combines the destructive capabilities of NotPetya, the recoverable encryption functionality of Petya ransomware, and the ability to bypass Secure Boot protections. It can deploy malicious UEFI payloads directly to the EFI System Partition and encrypt the Master File Table (MFT). HybridPetya's ability to install harmful code directly into a computer's UEFI firmware makes it hard for security teams to detect. The emergence of HybridPetya highlights the growing threat from UEFI bootkits that reside at a computer's startup sequence level.

A flaw in the Visual Studio Code Marketplace allows threat actors, notably WhiteCobra, to republish deleted extensions under the same names. This vulnerability was discovered after identifying a malicious extension named "ahbanC.shiba" that mimicked previously flagged extensions. The flaw enables attackers to reuse names of removed extensions, posing a risk to software supply chain security. The malicious extensions act as downloaders, retrieving a PowerShell payload that encrypts files and demands Shiba Inu tokens. This issue highlights the need for secure development practices and proactive monitoring of software repositories. WhiteCobra has targeted VSCode, Cursor, and Windsurf users by planting 24 malicious extensions in the Visual Studio marketplace and the Open VSX registry. The campaign is ongoing as the threat actor continuously uploads new malicious code to replace the extensions that are removed. The group is responsible for the $500,000 crypto-theft in July, through a fake extension for the Cursor editor.