Contagious Interview

Threat Actor
47 incidents First seen 2025-12-12 Last seen 2026-11-01
Overview

Contagious Interview is a North Korea–aligned threat group active since 2023. The group conducts both cyberespionage and financially motivated operations, including the theft of cryptocurrency and user credentials. Contagious Interview targets Windows, Linux, and macOS systems, with a particular focus on individuals engaged in software development and cryptocurrency-related activities.

Threat ecosystem
Actors Malware Campaigns CVEs
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At a glance
peak priority 170 59 techniques 4 tools & malware in ATT&CK since 2025-10-19 updated 2026-07-31 · v1.0
Activity by month (incidents)
2025-122026-11
Sectors targeted
cryptocurrency · 31technology · 29finance · 8government · 5defense · 2education · 1health · 1maritime · 1media · 1
Countries targeted
KP · 21US · 14CA · 12DE · 10AT · 9CH · 9AU · 8CN · 8GB · 6BE · 5BR · 5FR · 5
Origin
KP · 42CN · 11IR · 6US · 6CA · 5JP · 5
Kinds of incident
Malware & Botnets · 18State-Sponsored & Espionage · 14Supply Chain · 12Phishing & Social Engineering · 9Fraud & Crypto Theft · 6Data Breach · 4
Techniques seen in incidents
T1059.007 - JavaScript · 28T1059.006 - Python · 19Social Engineering · 18T1588.001 - Malware · 15Espionage · 13Exfiltration · 10Phishing · 10Impersonate · 7Ransomware · 6Reconnaissance · 6Extortion · 5T1059.001 - PowerShell · 5T1555.001 - Keychain · 5Keylogging · 4
Related malware
BeaverTail · 13InvisibleFerret · 9BPFDoor · 1Black Basta · 1BlackCat · 1CanisterWorm · 1Cobalt Strike · 1Crimson · 1
Related CVEs
CVE-2025-55182 · 1CVE-2025-64721 · 1CVE-2026-49494 · 1CVE-2026-76460 · 1CVE-2026-76461 · 1CVE-2026-77692 · 1CVE-2026-91843 · 1
ATT&CK techniques by tactic (59)
reconnaissance T1589 Gather Victim Identity Information T1593 Search Open Websites/Domains T1593.001 Social Media T1593.003 Code Repositories T1681 Search Threat Vendor Data
resource development T1583 Acquire Infrastructure T1583.001 Domains T1583.003 Virtual Private Server T1583.006 Web Services T1585 Establish Accounts T1585.001 Social Media Accounts T1585.002 Email Accounts T1587 Develop Capabilities T1587.001 Malware T1588.002 Tool T1588.007 Artificial Intelligence T1608.001 Upload Malware T1683.001 Written Content T1683.002 Audio-Visual Content
initial access T1566.003 Spearphishing via Service
execution T1059.003 Windows Command Shell T1059.004 Unix Shell T1059.005 Visual Basic T1059.006 Python T1059.007 JavaScript T1204.001 Malicious Link T1204.002 Malicious File T1204.004 Malicious Copy and Paste T1204.005 Malicious Library
persistence T1543.001 Launch Agent T1546.004 Unix Shell Configuration Modification T1547.001 Registry Run Keys / Startup Folder T1547.013 XDG Autostart Entries
privilege escalation T1543.001 Launch Agent T1546.004 Unix Shell Configuration Modification T1547.001 Registry Run Keys / Startup Folder T1547.013 XDG Autostart Entries
credential access T1555.001 Keychain
discovery T1082 System Information Discovery T1083 File and Directory Discovery T1497 Virtualization/Sandbox Evasion
command and control T1071.003 Mail Protocols T1090 Proxy T1219.002 Remote Desktop Software T1571 Non-Standard Port T1573.001 Symmetric Cryptography
exfiltration T1041 Exfiltration Over C2 Channel T1048.003 Exfiltration Over Unencrypted Non-C2 Protocol T1567 Exfiltration Over Web Service T1567.002 Exfiltration to Cloud Storage
impact T1657 Financial Theft
stealth T1027.010 Command Obfuscation T1027.013 Encrypted/Encoded File T1036 Masquerading T1070.004 File Deletion T1480 Execution Guardrails T1497 Virtualization/Sandbox Evasion T1684.001 Impersonation
defense impairment T1685 Disable or Modify Tools
Tools & malware it uses
BeaverTailHexEval LoaderInvisibleFerretXORIndex Loader
Incident timeline
2026-11-01
FBI Links North Korea's TraderTraitor to Record $6.43 Billion Binance Crypto Heist
2026-09-25
Stopping IT Worker Scams Requires Revamped HR Process
2026-09-24
Trust and the enticing consultancy offer
2026-09-22
North Korean Attackers Hit 30,000 Devices and Steal $10.7m
2026-09-21
WeaselBiscuit Steals Chrome Extension Storage via 13 npm Packages
AlienVault OTX The Hacker News AlienVault OTX AlienVault OTX
2026-09-18
International security agencies warn about North Korean hackers exploiting job seekers to steal crypto, data
2026-09-18
WeaselBiscuit Stealer Spreads via 13 npm Packages to Harvest Chrome Extension Storage
2026-09-08
Autonomous AI Agents Compromise Thousands of Credentials in Under Six Hours
2026-09-03
Contagious Interview steps outside the developer workflow
AlienVault OTX
2026-08-11
Six npm Packages Read C2 Addresses From Ethereum Wallet
2026-08-05
Trojanized npm Packages Employ NullReceiver Tactic to Decode C2 IP from Blockchain
2026-07-30
DPRK-Linked macOS Malvertising Uses Fake Updates to Deliver Crypto-Stealing Malware
2026-07-29
Two Compromised joyfill npm Packages Run RAT When Imported Into Node.js
2026-07-17
Fake Coding Tests Deliver OtterCookie-Aligned Malware Hidden in SVG Flag Images
2026-07-04
North Korean Hackers Publish 108 Malicious Packages and Extensions in PolinRider Campaign
2026-07-03
North Korea-Linked npm Packages Mimic Rollup Polyfills to Steal Developer Secrets
2026-06-15
North Korean Hackers Are Turning Developer Tools Into Malware Delivery Channels
2026-06-08
North Korean Hackers Use Fake Coding Tasks to Steal Crypto
2026-06-08
North Korean Hackers Use Fake Coding Tasks to Steal Crypto
2026-05-28
JINX-0164 Targets Cryptocurrency Firms with Fake Recruiter Lures and macOS Malware
2026-04-29
New Wave of DPRK Attacks Uses AI-Inserted npm Malware, Fake Firms, and RATs
2026-04-28
BlueNoroff Uses Fake Zoom Calls to Turn Victims Into Attack Lures
2026-04-24
Glasswing Secured the Code. The Rest of Your Stack Is Still on You
2026-04-22
DPRK Fake Job Scams Self-Propagate in 'Contagious Interview'
2026-04-14
State-sponsored threats: Different objectives, similar access paths
2026-04-08
N. Korean Hackers Spread 1,700 Malicious Packages Across npm, PyPI, Go, Rust
2026-04-05
$285 Million Drift Hack Traced to Six-Month DPRK Social Engineering Operation
2026-04-02
Inside the Talos 2025 Year in Review: A discussion on what the data means for defenders
2026-03-24
North Korea-linked threat actors abuse VS Code auto-run to spread StoatWaffle malware
2026-03-23
North Korean Hacker Lands Remote IT Job, Caught After VPN Slip
2026-03-18
OFAC Sanctions DPRK IT Worker Network Funding WMD Programs Through Fake Remote Jobs
2026-03-02
North Korean Hackers Publish 26 npm Packages Hiding Pastebin C2 for Cross-Platform RAT
2026-02-26
Microsoft Warns Developers of Fake Next.js Job Repos Delivering In-Memory Malware
2026-02-05
ThreatsDay Bulletin: Codespaces RCE, AsyncRAT C2, BYOVD Abuse, AI Cloud Intrusions & 15+ Stories
2026-01-21
North Korean PurpleBravo Campaign Targeted 3,136 IP Addresses via Fake Job Interviews
2026-01-20
Hackers Use LinkedIn Messages to Spread RAT Malware Through DLL Sideloading
2025-12-12
Half of exposed React servers remain unpatched amid active exploitation