North Korean hackers affiliated with the Contagious Interview campaign are utilizing fake cryptocurrency companies to distribute malware under the guise of job offers. This new wave of cyber deception involves three main front companies—BlockNovas LLC, Angeloper Agency, and SoftGlide LLC—leveraging recruitment tactics to deliver malware during a phony hiring process.

According to analysis by Silent Push, these attackers employ social engineering strategies, enticing victims to download malware masked as coding assignments or as a resolution for technical issues during video interviews. The malware families being utilized include BeaverTail, InvisibleFerret, and OtterCookie.

Known collectively as CL-STA-0240 and by other aliases, these attackers have sophisticated settings, including fraudulent social media accounts as part of their lure strategy. Notably, the BlockNovas front company claims to employ numerous staff members, all of whom appear fabricated. Their "About Us" page misleadingly states they have operated for over 12 years—far exceeding the actual registration date.

The malware operations begin with BeaverTail, a JavaScript loader that drops the InvisibleFerret Python backdoor, which can run persistently across multiple platforms, including Windows, Linux, and macOS. Some exploit chains also distribute OtterCookie through the same loading method.

The attackers’ strategy has evolved to involve setting up a monitoring "Status Dashboard" within BlockNovas’ infrastructure, tracking multiple domains simultaneously. Additionally, investigations revealed an association with an open-source password cracking tool hosted on their servers, showcasing the breadth of their capabilities.

The FBI has intervened by seizing the BlockNovas domain as part of a wider crackdown on North Korean cybercrime operations aimed at misleading individuals through fake job listings while facilitating malware distribution.

Adding to the complexity of these cyber operations, AI-based tools are being used by the attackers to create realistic fake profiles, streamlining the application and interaction processes. This exploitation of technology underlines the sophisticated operational framework of these North Korean cyber actors, who are believed to operate with assistance from infrastructure in Russia and China.

This sophisticated scheme indicates a dual motive for the attackers—to not only steal sensitive data but also to financially benefit by siphoning off a portion of salaries from remote IT workers they manage to hire. The continuous advancement and adaptation of their tactics underscore the persistent threat posed by such cyber groups to global security in the digital landscape.

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