Clipboard hijacking malware found in 725 Ruby libraries

[silversurfer]

Content source

https://www.zdnet.com/article/clipboard-hijacking-malware-found-in-725-ruby-libraries/

Security researchers from ReversingLabs say they've discovered 725 Ruby libraries uploaded on the official RubyGems repository that contained malware meant to hijack users' clipboards.

The malicious packages were uploaded on RubyGems between February 16 and 25 by two accounts -- JimCarrey and PeterGibbons.

The 725 libraries, which are listed here in full, have been removed two days later, on February 27, after the ReversingLabs team notified the RubyGems security team.

All the Ruby libraries were copies of legitimate libraries, used lookalike names, worked as intended, but also contained additional malicious files.

The extra file inserted into each package was named aaa.png. However, ReversingLabs say this file wasn't a PNG image, but instead was a Windows PE executable.

ReversingLabs says the libraries were downloaded by thousands of users. However, from a Bitcoin address shared by researchers in their report, it appears that the attackers had not been able to hijack any payments during their recent attack.