Beyond eval(): DPRK’s New Malware Strategy Hidden in Job Assignments
2025-10-21 • KL4R10N •
A DPRK-linked recruiter lure targeted Web3 developers through LinkedIn messages, a Notion assignment, and a public GitLab project that executed a multi-stage Node.js implant when cloned and run locally. The loader fetched attacker-controlled JavaScript from Chainlink-themed typosquat infrastructure, first chainlink-api-v3[.]cloud and later chainlink-api-v3[.]com, then used dynamic execution to start host fingerprinting, VM checks, socket.io C2, and clipboard theft. Follow-on payloads installed runtime dependencies, opened interactive command execution, deployed a keylogger, and recursively searched for wallets, environment files, documents, and other developer secrets for exfiltration to 172[.]86[.]116[.]178. The campaign matters because it embeds malware delivery inside a routine developer workflow and specifically increases the chance of stealing Web3 credentials, wallets, and cloud secrets from targeted candidates.
Indicators of Compromise
| Type | Value | First Seen | Last Seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| DOMAIN | chainlink-api-v3.com | 2025-10-21 | 2026-03-23 |
| HASH | b2040f01294c183945fdbe487022cf8e | 2025-10-21 | 2026-02-19 |
| DOMAIN | chainlink-api-v3.cloud | 2025-04-11 | 2026-02-19 |
| IPv4 | 172.86.116.178 | 2025-10-21 | 2026-02-03 |
| YARA | Node_Beyond_eval_Contagious_Int… | 2025-10-21 | 2025-10-21 |
| URL | http://chainlink-api-v3.com | 2025-10-21 | 2025-10-21 |
| URL | https://chainlink-api-v3.cloud | 2025-10-21 | 2025-10-21 |