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IBM X-Force Details AI-Assisted ‘Slopoly’ Backdoor Used by Hive0163 in Interlock Ransomware Attack

Researchers say generative tools are shortening the time criminals need to build and deploy custom malware.

Overview

  • IBM X-Force attributes the Slopoly deployment to Hive0163 in an Interlock incident where the backdoor sustained access for more than a week and enabled data theft.
  • Slopoly operates as a PowerShell command-and-control client that sends heartbeat beacons every 30 seconds, polls for new tasks every 50 seconds, executes them via cmd.exe, and returns output to its server.
  • Investigators observed persistence via a scheduled task named Runtime Broker with files placed under C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Runtime\ on victim systems.
  • Extensive comments and structured logging point to large language model generation, yet IBM assesses the tool as technically unsophisticated and not truly polymorphic, likely produced by a builder with randomized values.
  • The attack chain began with a ClickFix lure and deployed NodeSnake, InterlockRAT, and the JunkFiction loader alongside Slopoly, with indicators shared to support detection and response.