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Unit 42 Exposes VVS Stealer, Obfuscated Python Malware Targeting Discord Accounts

Deobfuscation shows a Pyarmor-hardened tool that exfiltrates stolen data through Discord webhooks.

Overview

  • Palo Alto Networks researchers detail a PyInstaller-packed stealer protected with Pyarmor in BCC mode and AES-128-CTR, which they reversed to recover core Python logic.
  • The malware searches for and decrypts Discord tokens, then queries Discord APIs to gather account details, billing information, MFA status, IP data and system metadata.
  • It performs Discord client injection by deploying an obfuscated JavaScript payload, enabling session hijacking and traffic monitoring via the Chrome DevTools Protocol.
  • Beyond Discord, it steals browser data from Chromium- and Firefox-based browsers, captures screenshots, compresses the haul as USERNAME_vault.zip and sends it to preset webhook URLs.
  • Marketed on Telegram with tiers from €10 per week to €199 lifetime, the analyzed build uses a fixed Chrome user agent, persists via the Startup folder with fake “Fatal Error” prompts, and is set to stop functioning after October 31, 2026.