GoKawiilA new malware strain dubbed Slopoly, likely created using generative AI tools, allowed a threat actor to remain on a compromised server for more than a week and steal data in an Interlock ransomware attack.
The breach started with a ClickFix ruse, and in later stages of the attack, the hackers deployed the Slopoly backdoor as a PowerShell script acting as a client for the command-and-control (C2) framework.
IBM X-Force researchers analyzed the script and found strong indicators that it was created using a large language model (LLM), but could not determine which one.
Evidence pointing to AI-assisted development includes extensive commentary in the code, structured logging, error handling, and clearly named variables. All this is rare in human-developed malware.
They attributed the attack to a financially motivated group they track as Hive0163, "whose main objective is extortion through large-scale data exfiltration and ransomware."
According to the researchers, Slopoly is rather unsophisticated, although its deployment in ransomware operators' attack chains indicates that AI tools are actively used to accelerate custom malware development, which can help evade detection.
Although comments in the Slopoly script describe it as a “Polymorphic C2 Persistence Client,” IBM X-Force did not find any feature that would allow modifying its own code during execution.
“The script does not possess any advanced techniques and can hardly be considered polymorphic, since it's unable to modify its own code during execution,” reads the IBM report.
“The builder may, however, generate new clients with different randomized configuration values and function names, which is standard practice among malware builders.”
IBM X-Force researchers believe that Slopoly was generated by a builder that inserted configuration values, such as beaconing intervals, command-and-control addresses, mutex names, and session IDs.
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