Researchers at Checkmarx warn that attackers uploaded more than 15,000 packages to NPM, the open-source repository for JavaScript packages, to distribute phishing links. The packages themselves weren’t malicious, but they contained README text files with links to phishing sites.
“The attackers used a large number of packages with names related to hacking, cheats, and free resources to promote their phishing campaign,” the researchers write. “Some of the package names included ‘free-tiktok-followers,’ ‘free-xbox-codes,’ and ‘instagram-followers-free.’ These names were designed to lure users into downloading the packages and clicking on the links to the phishing sites. The descriptions of all the packages we found contained links to phishing sites.”
The websites attempt to steal credentials before directing the users to legitimate retail websites, which generates referral rewards for the scammers.
“The messages in these packages attempt to entice readers into clicking links with promises of game cheats, free resources, and increased followers and likes on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram,” the researchers write. “The phishing campaign linked to many unique URLs across many domains, with each domain hosting multiple phishing webpages under different paths.
The phishing pages are convincing, and sometimes contain phony chatbots that will respond to users. Checkmarx has notified NPM’s security team about the campaign.
“The deceptive webpages are well-designed and, in some cases, even include fake interactive chats that appear to show users receiving the game cheats or followers they were promised,” the researchers write. “These chats will even respond to messages if the reader chooses to participate, but these are all automated and fabricated. This highlights the need for caution when interacting with links in packages and the importance of only using trusted sources.”
New-school security awareness training can teach your employees to recognize social engineering tactics so they can avoid falling for phishing attacks.
Checkmarx has the story.
Here's how it works:
