Cybersecurity researchers today revealed a wide-ranging scam targeting cryptocurrency users that began as early as January last year to distribute trojanized applications to install a previously undetected remote access tool on target systems.

Called ElectroRAT by Intezer, the RAT is written from ground-up in Golang and designed to target multiple operating systems such as Windows, Linux, and macOS.

The apps are developed using the open-source Electron cross-platform desktop app framework.

"ElectroRAT is the latest example of attackers using Golang to develop multi-platform malware and evade most antivirus engines," the researchers said.

"It is common to see various information stealers trying to collect private keys to access victims wallets. However, it is rare to see tools written from scratch and targeting multiple operating systems for these purposes."

The campaign, first detected in December, is believed to have claimed over 6,500 victims based on the number of unique visitors to the Pastebin pages used to locate the command and control (C2) servers.

"Operation ElectroRAT" involved the attackers creating three different tainted applications — each with a Windows, Linux, Mac version — two of which pose as cryptocurrency trade management applications by the name of "Jamm" and "eTrade," while a third app called "DaoPoker" masquerades as a cryptocurrency poker platform.

Not only are the malicious apps hosted on websites built specifically for this campaign, but the services are also advertised on Twitter, Telegram, and legitimate cryptocurrency and blockchain-related forums such as "bitcointalk" and "SteemCoinPan" in an attempt to lure unsuspecting users into downloading the tainted apps.

Once installed, the app opens a harmless-looking user interface when in reality, the ElectroRAT runs hidden in the background as "mdworker," which comes with intrusive capabilities to capture keystrokes, take screenshots, upload files from disk, download arbitrary files, and execute malicious commands received from the C2 server on the victim's machine.

Interestingly, an analysis of the Pastebin pages — which were published by a user named "Execmac" as early as January 8, 2020 — and those posted by the same user prior to the campaign found C2 servers used in conjunction with Windows malware like Amadey and KPOT, suggesting the attackers have pivoted from using well-known trojans to a new RAT capable of targeting multiple operating systems.

"Another motivating factor is this is an unknown Golang malware, which has allowed the campaign to fly under the radar for a year by evading all antivirus detections," the researchers said.

Users who have fallen victim to this campaign are urged to kill the process, delete all files related to the malware, move the funds to a new wallet, and change their passwords.