SolanaCry Malware Steals Crypto Wallets from Web-Browsing AI Agents

Summary

Malware operators are targeting AI coding agents through malicious GitHub repositories disguised as legitimate starter kits. When an AI agent discovers and selects these repositories, it may execute malicious PowerShell commands embedded in the README, resulting in the deployment of a NetSupport Manager RAT. This gives attackers remote access to the victim’s system and enables cryptocurrency wallet theft.

Investigation

Researchers uncovered a malicious Solana starter kit repository on GitHub containing a PowerShell one-liner that downloads and executes a fileless payload. The investigation recovered a 21MB PowerShell dropper that extracts 14 NetSupport Manager components into a hidden staging directory. Analysis of the configuration file also revealed a specific RADIUS secret associated with the EVALUSION threat cluster.

Mitigation

Developers should treat all content processed by AI agents, including search results and README files, as untrusted input. Organizations should implement security controls that monitor and restrict the context and commands executed by agents. Agents should not be allowed to download and execute remote code without explicit human review.

Response

If compromise is suspected, immediately disconnect the affected machine from the network. Remove the hidden staging directory from %LOCALAPPDATA% and delete the associated persistence registry key. Most importantly, rotate all credentials, tokens, and cryptocurrency wallet keys that were accessible from the compromised system.

Simulation Execution

• Attack Narrative & Commands: The adversary has successfully gained initial access to the user’s workstation. To maintain access across reboots, the attacker intends to use the SolanaCry persistence method. They will attempt to write a registry value to HKCUSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRun with the name SecureModule pointing to a malicious executable. This is a “Living off the Registry” technique, attempting to hide the persistence mechanism within a standard Windows registry hive to avoid detection by basic file-system scanners.

• Regression Test Script:

  # Simulation script to mimic SolanaCry persistence
  $registryPath = "HKCU:SoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRun"
  $name = "SecureModule"
  $value = "C:UsersPublicclient32.exe"
  
  Write-Host "[+] Attempting to simulate SolanaCry persistence..."
  try {
      New-ItemProperty -Path $registryPath -Name $name -Value $value -PropertyType String -Force -ErrorAction Stop
      Write-Host "[!] Success: Registry key '$name' created. Detection should trigger." -ForegroundColor Green
  } catch {
      Write-Host "[-] Failed to create registry key: $($_.Exception.Message)" -ForegroundColor Red
  }

• Cleanup Commands:

  # Cleanup script to remove the simulated persistence
  $registryPath = "HKCU:SoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRun"
  $name = "SecureModule"
  
  if (Test-Path "$registryPath$name") {
      Remove-ItemProperty -Path $registryPath -Name $name -Force
      Write-Host "[+] Cleanup complete: Simulated registry key removed." -ForegroundColor Cyan
  } else {
      Write-Host "[-] Cleanup skipped: Key not found." -ForegroundColor Yellow
  }