A reported Free Download Manager supply chain attack redirected Linux users to a malicious Debian package repository that installed information-stealing malware.

A reported Free Download Manager supply chain attack redirected Linux users to a malicious Debian package repository that installed information-stealing malware.

The malware used in this campaign establishes a reverse shell to a C2 server and installs a Bash stealer that collects user data and account credentials.

Kaspersky discovered the potential supply chain compromise case while investigating suspicious domains, finding that the campaign has been underway for over three years.

    • Hamartiogonic@sopuli.xyz
      4·
      10 months ago

      Oh, I know someone who adds the word “free” to various search words like “free pdf reader” or “free flash player” (happened a very long time ago). He’s also the kind of person who I can imagine having a bunch of viruses and malware on his computer.

    • 30p87@feddit.de
      4·
      10 months ago

      And via a website too. That’s like pushing a car. One of the main strengths of Linux are open repositories, maintained by reputable sources and checked by thousands of reputable people. Packages are checksummed and therefore unable to be switched by malicious parties. Even the AUR is arguably a safer and more regulated source. And it’s actually in there.

      • JWBananas@startrek.websiteEnglish
        6·
        10 months ago

        And via a website too

        Everyone knows real admins do curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/something/or/other/install.sh | sudo bash

    • gaael@lemmy.world
      2·
      10 months ago

      I’ve installed and used it, and still do.

      My internet connection is not that reliable, and when I download big files that are not torrents (say >1000 MB) and the download is interrupted because of internet disconnect, Firefox often has trouble getting back to it while FDM doesn’t.

      FDM also lets me set download speed limits, which means I can still browse the internet while downloading.

      It’s not my main tool for downloading stuff, but it has its uses.

    • TrustingZebra@lemmy.one
      0·
      10 months ago

      It’s still my favorite download manager on Windows. It often downloads file significantly faster than the download manager built into browsers. Luckily I never installed it on Linux, since I have a habit of only installing from package managers.

      Do you know of a good download manager for Linux?

      • arglebargle@lemm.eeEnglish
        2·
        10 months ago

        axel. use axel -n8 to make 8 connections/segments which it will assemble when it is done

      • FredericChopin_@feddit.ukEnglish
        1·
        10 months ago

        How much faster are we talking?

        I’ve honestly never looked at my downloads and though huh you should be quicker, well maybe in 90’s.

        • TrustingZebra@lemmy.one
          0·
          10 months ago

          FDM does some clever things to boost download speeds. It splits up a download into different chuncks, and somehow downloads them concurrently. It makes a big difference for large files (for example, Linux ISOs).

          • FredericChopin_@feddit.ukEnglish
            0·
            10 months ago

            Im curious as to how it would achieve that?

            It can’t split a file before it has the file. And all downloads are split up. They’re called packets.

            Not saying it doesn’t do it, just wondering how.

            • everett@lemmy.ml
              0·
              10 months ago

              It could make multiple requests to the server, asking each request to resume starting at a certain byte.

    • xkforce@lemmy.world
      0·
      10 months ago

      The same people that would have given that poor nigerian prince their bank account details

  • rufus@discuss.tchncs.de
    61·
    10 months ago

    Mmmh. You kinda deserve being infected if you do things like this. Every beginner tutorial specifically tells you not to download random stuff from the internet and ‘sudo’ install it. Every Wiki with helpful information has these boxes that tell you not to do it. I’m okay if you do it anyways. But don’t blame anyone else for the consequences. And don’t tell me you haven’t been warned.

    Also I wonder about the impact this had. It went unnoticed for 3 years. So I can’t imagine it having affected many people. The text says it affected few people. And it didn’t have any real impact.

    But supply chain attacks are real. Don’t get fooled. And don’t install random stuff. Install the download manager from your package repository instead.

    • ipkpjersi@lemmy.ml
      4·
      10 months ago

      I kind of disagree. Applications often require root permissions to install themselves, since regular users can’t access certain folders like /opt, etc.

      Also, do you really think that people would actually read the source and then compile all their software themselves? Do you do the same?

      Generally though I do agree, you’re probably fine installing software from your distro’s repos but even that’s not bulletproof and also it’s not like third-party repos are uncommon either.

      • rufus@discuss.tchncs.de
        1·
        10 months ago

        Yes. I do it the correct way. I use my favourite distro’s package manager to install software. This way it’s tested, a few people had a look at the changes, and sometimes a CI script automatically determines if the installer affects other parts of the system. I go to great lengths to avoid doing it any other way. (I’ve been using some flatpaks in recent times, though. But sometimes I also install it only for a separate user account. Mainly when it’s proprietary or niche.)

        It is super rare that I install random stuff from the internet. Or ‘curl’ and then pipe the installer script into a root shell. And when I do, I put in some effort to see if it’s okay. I think i had a quick glance at most of the install .sh scripts before continuing. So yes, I kinda do my best. And I isolate that stuff and don’t put it on the same container that does my email.

        Most of the times you can avoid doing it the ‘stupid way’. And even the programming package managers like ‘npm’, ‘cargo’, … have started to take supply chain attacks seriously.

  • _cnt0@feddit.de
    2·
    10 months ago

    malicious Debian package repository

    *laughs in RPM*

    This comment was presented by the fedora gang.

  • drspod@lemmy.mlOP
    2·
    10 months ago

    The article mentions how to check for infection:

    If you have installed the Linux version of the Free Download Manager between 2020 and 2022, you should check and see if the malicious version was installed.

    To do this, look for the following files dropped by the malware, and if found, delete them:

    /etc/cron.d/collect
/var/tmp/crond
/var/tmp/bs
    • lemmyvore@feddit.nlEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      Back in the day when most stuff was on FTP and HTTP and your connection was crap and could drop at any time, you’d use a download manager to smooth things along. It could resume downloads when connection dropped, it could keep a download going for days on end and resume as needed, and it could abusing the bandwitdh limitations of the source site by using multiple parallel connections that pulled on different file chunks. In some ways it was very similar to how we use BT today.

      It was also useful to keep a history of stuff you’d downloaded in case you needed it again, manage the associated files etc.

    • Dhs92@programming.dev
      0·
      10 months ago

      It’s a download client that can pause/Resume downloads, as well as use multiple connections to download files