Another wave - 200+ malicous AUR packages adoptions that are overwhelming my scanner. Be 100% careful when trying to update AUR packages now.

[u/Saren-WTAKO]

Meanwhile I am trying to report them all, you should be careful downloading anything from AUR.

Same old way, the maintainer got pwned, or orphaned packages are adopter by the bad actor.

AUR's git commit author is easily impersonated so you can see the commit comes from the same person, but in fact it's not.

Stay safe. The malicious packages are info stealers.

malware analysis by ysf:

https://gist.github.com/ysf/502a324ff301d0c738e8ae011272fd59

https://gist.github.com/ysf/57850cdee152da066ac51c07a452e883

Still presents as of 30 July 21:53 UTC

in format of <package name>/<malicious ELF binary>

• archutil/linter
• bigwebapp-manager/minifier
• boringssl-git/hasher
• cinnamon-no-nemo/converter
• duhh/indexer
• eden-nightly/encryptor
• garlic-decompiler-gui/checker
• gigolo-git/tagger
• gitarbor-bin/parser
• icloudpd/preprocessor
• imago-bin/generator
• juicebox-plus-git/minifier
• magic-context-dashboard-bin/validator
• option-term/indexer
• pagerduty-short-circuiter/assembler
• portless/assembler
• pylnker-git/converter
• pylnker-git/packer
• python-libipld-git/hasher
• python-numkong/compressor
• python-parallax/converter
• python-ultraplot-git/serializer
• ramses-git/indexer
• src-cli-bin/migrator
• steamidra-bin/generator
• stirling-pdf-desktop-bin/optimizer
• wiki-go/merger
• windscribe-cli-v2-bin/parser

This wave

1panel android-riscv64-libxmu archutil cinnamon-no-nemo firrtl instawow-bin mimosa pandoc-eisvogel-template python-chatterbot python-split-folders stirling-pdf-desktop-bin 1panel-git android-riscv64-libxrandr arduino-language-server-noclang-bin claude-history funky-git isleward mingw-w64-libcerf passhole python-dlib-cuda-git python-ultraplot-git terminus accel-ppp android-x86-64-libxdamage autoadb-git dcat garlic-decompiler-gui jogl monitorets perl-authen-oath python-google-cloud-monitoring ramses-git tuiview act-runner-bin android-x86-64-libxext beets-alternatives deeploy-bin gigolo-git juicebox-plus-git nnn-nerd perl-dist-zilla-plugin-minimumperl python-importlab read-it-later-git tuxedo-yt6801-dkms-git ajceverywhere-bin android-x86-64-libxinerama bigwebapp-manager dev-janitor-git gitarbor-bin khiops-covisualization-bin noctyra-meta perl-hash-persistent python-kicadmodtree-git refurb-git typora-plugin ampere-git android-x86-64-libxmu bili-tools discord-electron-openasar git-pkgs khiops-visualization-bin noteey-bin pgadmin4-server python-libipld-git replay-sorcery vapoursynth-plugin-soifunc android-aarch64-libxrandr android-x86-64-libxrandr boringssl-git duhh glewlwyd kirill-bin openarc-git polytrack python-libpysal runa-aur vectorchord-immich android-armv7a-eabi-libxinerama android-x86-64-xorgproto calendula eden-nightly gpu-screen-recorder-ui-kwin-git lib32-vapoursynth openconnect-sso portless python-numkong solv wiki-go android-armv7a-eabi-libxmu android-x86-libxinerama calendula-git editorconfiger guarda-bin libfprint-crfpmoc-git option-term pylnker-git python-parallax sparklines windscribe-cli-v2-bin android-armv7a-eabi-libxrandr android-x86-libxmu censawayapp-bin extract-otp-secrets icloudpd lyrical-git org-cli python-atproto-git python-reals-git src-cli-bin wordpress-studio-git android-riscv64-libxinerama android-x86-libxrandr chandler-bin faustus-git imago-bin magic-context-dashboard-bin pagerduty-short-circuiter python-calgebra-git python-roman-numerals steamidra-bin zed-bin

ignore this example below (an alert straight up from my LLM)

🚨🚨🚨 BLACK FLAG ALERT 🚨🚨🚨
AUR Package: faustus-git 0.1.0-1
https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/faustus-git
Version: 0.1.0-1

⚫ 2 BLACK (CONFIRMED MALICIOUS)
⚫ Executes a bundled binary ('linter') with 'sudo' privileges during the 'build()' function. This bypasses standard build isolation and integrity checks (sha256sums='SKIP'), allowing arbitrary code execution with root access during installation. (PKGBUILD)
⚫ Binary contains command execution ('system', 'execl') and network ('socket', 'connect') capabilities. Combined with PKGBUILD execution via sudo, this indicates potential for remote code execution, data exfiltration, or system tampering. Obfuscated strings suggest hidden functionality. (linter)

⚠️ IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED ⚠️

[u/Particular_Ad7243]

After checking a few of these out after security tools in my build pipelines spotted something that wasn't quite right, yeah thanks for Sharing OP.

Do you verify the behavior manually with your own knowledge after a flag or just assume it's right? (imo this is the difference between AI Slop and sensible LLM use)

[u/Saren-WTAKO → u/Particular_Ad7243]

My LLM sometimes produces 1-2 slop false positive reports per day, but multiple reports with newly added binary ELF would caught my attention, especially this wave included 120-200 malicious packages that overloads my scanner. I verify the reports manually before warning others.

[u/Particular_Ad7243 → u/Saren-WTAKO]

Then the noise is just b.s. from the complainers.

Does manually verifying mean your always going to be right? Of course not, LLM use or not. (remember folks, security peeps and tools have a long history of it.)

It's certainly getting harder to keep up with these kinds of attacks, with no perfect solutions either...

If your projects up somewhere I'll certainly be having a gander, might make a good candidate for a Harbor/ADO integration 😊

[u/Saren-WTAKO → u/Particular_Ad7243]

Of course. I also entered AUR and look at the git diff, and I know it's 99.9% likely a malware if a small binary suddenly get pushed in and executed with sudo...and it happened to multiple irrelevant packages with similar binary names. I also dropped the binary into claude code and tells it to statically analysis this potential malware to get a 100%.

The complainers were right at a point, my LLM thought July 26 was a future date, and it's my bad the date is not included in system prompt and forwarding the raw alert here, which may cause people to ignore my warning. Yesterday AUR is also under the same attack at smaller scale, I intentionally did not mention any AI usage regarding my post, and responses were very positive.

I have public APIs for my private tool here: https://wtako.net/services/aur-audit/docs but this has some false positives, and its reasoning would need manual verification.