The widespread malware attack did not target cryptocurrency repositories but also affected them. Stephen Lacy noticed a malicious URL in the code while examining an open-source code, finding more than 35,000 results.
Development platform Github has been the victim of malware attacks on tens of thousands of its repositories.
A security researcher said they had cloned up to 35,000 Github repositories with malware.
Although the widespread malware attack did not target cryptocurrency repositories, it also affected them.
Stephen Lacy, a software engineer, recently warned the crypto community on Twitter about the raid.
Developers Clone Github Repositories to Infect them with Malware
Tech portal Bleeping Computer reported that malware had not attacked the repositories but their modified clones. The practice of cloning open-source code is a standard among developers, but hackers have infected legitimate projects, targeting unsuspecting developers.
Lacy noted that the attack had affected cryptocurrency projects like Golang, Python, JavaScript, Bash, Docker, and Kubernetes.
While examining an open-source code, the software engineer noticed a malicious URL in the code. After scanning the Github repositories for this URL, they found more than 35,000 results.
According to Bleeping Computer, over 13,000 search results came from a repository called redhat-operator-ecosystem. They added that the malicious URL extracted the environment variables of a user while containing a one-line backdoor.
They warned that those environment variables could contain sensitive data like API keys, tokens, and cryptographic keys. The malware also allows the remote execution of arbitrary code on the systems of everyone installing and running the clones.
The report indicated that most cloned repositories appeared in the past month. However, Github confirmed that the malware did not compromise the original repositories and that they had cleaned the clones.
In July, Luca Stealer, a new strain of malware written in Rust, was making the rounds. It targets Windows operating systems and steals sensitive information like crypto wallet information distributed on Github.
The Cryptocurrency Industry Has Had a Miserable Week
Miles Deutscher, a DeFi researcher, pointed out that the cryptocurrency industry has not had a good week. Hackers stole USD 190 million from the Nomad Bridge and breached around 8,000 Solana wallets, equivalent to about USD 8 million.
However, the total capitalization of the crypto market has gained 1.7%, reaching USD 1.12 trillion.
The Victoria Police Now Can Seize Cryptocurrency Wallets in Australia
While hackers attack cryptocurrency repositories, Australian police can seize wallets and cryptocurrencies from cyber criminals. New laws introduced in parliament as part of the Community Crime and Safety Legislation Amendment Bill 2022 aim to combat organized crime.
The growing use of cryptocurrencies has led to a new bill to allow the police to identify and seize cryptocurrencies. The laws will require exchanges to reveal user information to help investigators, the same as banks.
Anthony Carbine, the Police Minister, said the modifications to the law involved updating police powers. Criminals have changed how they operate rapidly, forcing them to respond to new forms of crime.
By Alexander Salazar
