Malicious Package Found on the Ubuntu Snap Store

Minimalist · May 13, 2018

An attentive Ubuntu user has spotted today a cryptocurrency miner hidden in the source code of an Ubuntu snap package hosted on the official Ubuntu Snap Store.

The app's name is 2048buntu, a clone of the popular 2024 game, packaged as an Ubuntu snap —a relatively new app format for Ubuntu OS.

According to a GitHub user named Tarwirdur, the app contained a cryptocurrency mining application disguised as the "systemd" daemon, along with an init script that provided boot persistence.
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https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/linux/malicious-package-found-on-the-ubuntu-snap-store/

oliverjia · May 14, 2018

****. looks like I'll have to stay away from snap packages for a while, although I have never tried one before.

guest · May 16, 2018

Mining apps? We're cool so long as they admit to it, says Canonical
Better review for Snaps Store promised anyway after last week's crypto surprise
May 16, 2018
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/05/16/canonical_snaps_review_process_improvements_promised/

Canonical has responded to last week's discovery that its Snap store carried apps containing embedded crypto-currency miners, by pledging to introduce a “verified developer” program.

When users complained that apps by Nicholas Tomb included the mining code, they were pulled from the Ubuntu Snap store, with Canonical promising an investigation.
The company's follow-up, here, explained the resolution of this event and mentioned developer verification as a possible solution.

As for code review, we noted last week that even Apple and Google, both of which are rather better-resourced than Canonical, sometimes get caught out with malware dressed as apps.

However, “the inherent complexity of software means it’s impossible for a large scale repository to only accept software after every individual file has been reviewed in detail”, and there's no way to ensure that all software can be trustworthy before using it.
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Malicious Package Found on the Ubuntu Snap Store

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