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Introduction: GitHubâs Dangerous Double Life
GitHub, a haven for developers and open-source collaboration, is now under siege. Cybersecurity experts have discovered a sinister campaign using the platform to host and spread sophisticated malware. The newly identified threat group, Water Curse, is taking advantage of GitHubâs credibility and developer-oriented resources to distribute malicious tools hidden within seemingly harmless repositories. This new wave of attacks isn’t just opportunisticâit’s highly strategic, targeting software supply chains and exploiting trust at scale.
The Rise of Water Curse: Inside the Threat
Cybersecurity researchers from Trend Micro have unveiled a covert malware campaign orchestrated by an unknown group dubbed Water Curse. This threat actor weaponizes GitHub repositories to deliver multi-stage malware with capabilities for data theft, remote access, and persistent system control.
Launched as early as March 2023 but only discovered recently, the campaign involves uploading fake penetration testing tools with hidden malware inside Visual Studio project configuration files. Among the payloads discovered were SMTP email bombers and Sakura-RAT, embedded to execute after repository cloning or execution by unsuspecting users.
Water Curse leverages Visual Basic Script (VBS) and PowerShell to launch a multi-stage infection chain. These scripts download encrypted payloads that include Electron-based applications, allowing for deep system reconnaissance and stealthy data exfiltration. Key capabilities include:
Credential theft (e.g., browser data and session tokens)
Privilege escalation
Long-term system persistence
Anti-debugging mechanisms
Host defense evasion via PowerShell
An estimated 76 GitHub accounts have been linked to Water Curse, suggesting a well-organized and expansive operation. Their infrastructure is built with automation, stealth, and scalability in mind, using tools such as Telegram and public file-sharing platforms for real-time exfiltration.
Not limited to a single type of malware, the campaign also involves ClickFix-based attacks delivering tools like AsyncRAT, DeerStealer, Filch Stealer, LightPerlGirl, and SectopRAT via dynamic infrastructure. These techniques include Cloudflare tunneling, offering temporary subdomains that evade detection by mimicking legitimate IT traffic.
Water Curseâs activity aligns with previous phishing campaigns across Europe, where Sorillus RAT and SambaSpy were spread using invoice-themed phishing emails. These Java-based remote access trojans can perform surveillance, data theft, keylogging, and more. Their distribution methodsâsuch as OneDrive-hosted PDFs with embedded JAR filesâhighlight the actorsâ ingenuity and focus on exploiting legitimate services to avoid raising red flags.
Researchers note the use of Brazilian Portuguese in several payloads, pointing to likely Brazilian-speaking operators behind the campaign.
What Undercode Say: đ§ Deep Analysis of the Cyber Threat
A Strategic Evolution in Malware Delivery
Water Curse represents the evolution of cybercrime into a hybrid form where open-source trust and developer platforms become tools of exploitation. What makes Water Curse especially dangerous is not just its technical sophistication, but its psychological exploitation of developersâ trust in repositories.
GitHub Abuse Reflects Broader Trends
The abuse of GitHub mirrors the broader software supply chain threat landscape. As businesses increasingly depend on open-source libraries, threat actors are inserting malware at the development level. Water Curse hides malicious code in config files, making it invisible to the untrained eye.
Blend of Red Team and Black Hat Tactics
By disguising malware as red team utilities, Water Curse blurs the ethical boundary between testing and attacking. Tools designed for simulation are instead used for real damageâmaking detection and attribution more difficult. This hybridization strategy reflects how modern threat actors borrow techniques from ethical hacking but twist them for criminal use.
ClickFix and Dynamic Infrastructure
The deployment of ClickFix loaders with Cloudflare tunnel support demonstrates how traditional malware vectors have been replaced by dynamic, ephemeral channels. These are difficult to blacklist and often originate from legitimate cloud platforms, making them more dangerous than traditional phishing or server-based attacks.
Automation and Multi-Vertical Targeting
Water Curse doesnât stick to one niche. Their GitHub accounts host cheat tools, wallet stealers, OSINT scrapers, and even spamming bots, signaling a monetization-first model. Theyâre casting a wide net across industries and interest groupsâany user is fair game, whether theyâre a developer, gamer, or crypto enthusiast.
Geographic Footprint and Linguistic Clues
The campaignâs expansion into Europe, combined with the consistent use of Brazilian Portuguese, hints at a globally distributed yet regionally coordinated threat operation. The targeting of accounting professionals and use of localized phishing lures show an advanced understanding of social engineering.
The Sorillus & SambaSpy Connection
The inclusion of Java-based RATs like Sorillus and SambaSpy suggests a shared codebase or modular malware development approach. These tools offer complete control over victim systems and have been refined through years of underground evolution.
â Fact Checker Results
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Water Curse is real and confirmed by Trend Micro as an active and evolving cyber threat.
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GitHub repositories used in the campaign have been traced to 76+ accounts.
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Evidence links the malware infrastructure to Brazilian-speaking operators and global phishing campaigns.
đŽ Prediction
As open-source platforms continue to expand, developer-focused malware like Water Curse will become more common. Expect to see a surge in supply chain attacks disguised as dev tools, particularly targeting GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket. Organizations will need to redefine their trust models and invest in advanced repository scanning, or risk becoming unknowing participants in malware distribution.
References:
Reported By: thehackernews.com
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