{"id":"CMP-202610-fake-chatgpt-and-claude-desktop-apps-on-github-gpt-5-6-sol-g","kind":"campaign","aliases":[],"related":[],"title":"Fake ChatGPT and Claude desktop apps on GitHub (GPT-5.6 Sol, GPT-6 Astra, Claude Opus) use signed OpenAI/Anthropic installers to load Yoba malware and a crypto miner","description":null,"summary":"Check Point Research (27 Oct 2026) tracked the Yoba campaign for about two months. Fake GitHub repos and GitHub.io pages pushed up in Google results through SEO poisoning offer ZIP releases of made-up desktop apps (GPT-5.6 Sol, GPT-6 Astra, Claude Opus). Each ZIP holds a real, signed OpenAI Setup.exe or Claude executable plus a malicious winmm.dll, which the signed file loads (DLL sideloading). YobaDropper asks for admin rights and adds a scheduled task so YobaLoader starts at boot. YobaLoader turns a Telegram channel's profile image into a domain, fetches a TXT record through Google DNS-over-HTTPS and downloads an encrypted payload from Catbox. In the samples seen, the payload was the XMRig 6.26.0 miner over Tor, but the loader can run any EXE or PowerShell payload. An earlier version posing as the Cursor coding agent appeared in early June. At risk: staff who download AI desktop apps from search results or GitHub instead of the vendor's site. OpenAI and Anthropic were not compromised.","severity":"high","cvss":null,"epss":null,"exploited":true,"exploited_at":"2026-10-29T15:48:03+00:00","products":[{"name":"ChatGPT Desktop","fixed":[],"vendor":"OpenAI"},{"name":"Claude Desktop","fixed":[],"vendor":"Anthropic"},{"name":"Windows","fixed":[],"vendor":"Microsoft"}],"ecosystems":[],"tags":["campaign","early-warning"],"not_affected_if":[],"how_to_check":"Look for winmm.dll next to an OpenAI Setup.exe or Claude executable in Downloads or extracted ZIP folders, a ProgramData\\WMProcess folder, a scheduled task posing as Windows Media Player, XMRig processes or Tor traffic, and endpoints contacting Telegram and dns.google DNS-over-HTTPS and then catbox.moe. Also check for downloads from GitHub repos or github.io pages named GPT-5.6 Sol, GPT-6 Astra or Claude Opus desktop.","fix":"Install ChatGPT and Claude desktop apps only from openai.com, anthropic.com or the managed app store, and block unapproved installers. Do not give local admin rights to unverified software. Treat an infected host as fully compromised, not just a miner cleanup: the loader can deliver other malware. Reimage the host and rotate any credentials used on it.","status":"open","published_at":null,"first_seen_at":"2026-10-29T15:48:03+00:00","triaged_at":"2026-10-29T15:48:03+00:00","updated_at":"2026-10-29T15:48:03+00:00","category":"ai-tooling","confidence":null,"triage":null,"analyst_status":"done","analyst_note":null,"search":"'-202610':30A '-5.6':10A,96B '-6':13A,42A,99B '2026':63B '27':61B '5':41A '6.26.0':177B 'add':131B 'admin':128B 'agent':199B 'ai':209B 'and':34A 'anthrop':225B 'app':6A,94B,211B 'appear':200B 'apps':37A 'ask':126B 'astra':14A,100B 'boot':139B 'campaign':54B,67B 'catbox':167B 'channel':144B 'chatgpt':2A,33A,49A 'check':58B 'claud':4A,15A,101B,112B 'claude':35A,51A 'cmp':29A 'code':198B 'compromis':228B 'crypto':27A 'cursor':197B 'desktop':5A,36A,50A,52A,93B,210B 'dll':123B 'dns':158B 'dns-over-http':157B 'domain':150B 'download':162B,208B 'earli':56B,202B 'earlier':192B 'early-warn':55B 'encrypt':164B 'exe':187B 'execut':113B 'fake':1A,32A,72B 'fake-chatgpt-and-claude-desktop-apps-on-github-gpt':31A 'fetch':151B 'file':121B 'g':45A 'github':8A,39A,73B,216B 'github.io':76B 'googl':81B,156B 'gpt':9A,12A,40A,95B,98B 'hold':105B 'https':160B 'imag':147B 'instal':20A 'instead':217B 'june':203B 'load':22A,122B 'loader':183B 'made':91B 'made-up':90B 'malici':116B 'malwar':24A 'miner':28A,178B 'month':71B 'oct':62B 'offer':86B 'on':38A 'openai':109B,223B 'openai/anthropic':19A 'opus':16A,102B 'page':77B 'payload':165B,173B,190B 'plus':114B 'point':59B 'poison':85B 'pose':194B 'powershel':189B 'profil':146B 'push':78B 'real':107B 'record':154B 'releas':88B 'repo':74B 'research':60B 'result':82B,214B 'right':129B 'risk':205B 'run':185B 'sampl':170B 'schedul':133B 'search':213B 'seen':171B 'seo':84B 'setup.exe':110B 'sideload':124B 'sign':18A,108B,120B 'site':222B 'sol':11A,44A,97B 'sol-g':43A 'staff':206B 'start':137B 'task':134B 'telegram':143B 'tor':180B 'track':64B 'turn':141B 'two':70B 'txt':153B 'use':17A 'vendor':220B 'version':193B 'warn':57B 'windows':53A 'winmm.dll':117B 'xmrig':176B 'yoba':23A,46A,66B 'yobadropp':125B 'yobadropper':48A 'yobaload':136B,140B 'yobaloader':47A 'zip':87B,104B","nicknames":["Yoba","YobaLoader","YobaDropper"],"mitigations":[],"who_affected":null,"tier":"A","verified":{},"analyst_revisit_at":null,"fix_status":null,"audience":null,"plain_action":null,"first_public_at":"2026-10-27T13:00:10+00:00","kev":null,"cvss_vector":null,"cvss_by":null,"poc_count":0,"sources":[{"source":"analyst","external_id":"CMP-202610-fake-chatgpt-and-claude-desktop-apps-on-github-gpt-5-6-sol-g","url":null,"severity":null,"published_at":null,"modified_at":null,"first_seen_at":"2026-10-29T15:48:03+00:00","fetched_at":"2026-10-29T15:48:03+00:00","note":null}],"documents":[{"id":17421,"url":"https://x.com/TheHackersNews/status/2115831281028317221","title":"@TheHackersNews: 🚨 Fake ChatGPT and Claude desktop apps on GitHub are delivering crypto-mining ma","kind":"post","source":"x","publisher":null,"text":"🚨 Fake ChatGPT and Claude desktop apps on GitHub are delivering crypto-mining malware.\n\nAttackers use legitimate, signed OpenAI and Anthropic executables to sideload YobaLoader, which deploys the XMRig miner.\n\nThe campaign also uses Telegram and DNS-over-HTTPS to retrieve https://t.co/NLkzgbMcJJ\n\nlikes 35 reposts 17","published_at":"2026-10-29T15:41:02+00:00","relation":"describes","confidence":null,"note":null},{"id":17427,"url":"https://blog.checkpoint.com/research/yoba-malware-abuses-signed-chatgpt-and-claude-binaries-to-target-ai-users/","title":"Yoba Malware Abuses Signed ChatGPT and Claude Binaries to Target AI Users (Check Point Research)","kind":"blog","source":"analyst","publisher":null,"text":"Check Point Research: fake GitHub projects and GitHub.io pages impersonating ChatGPT/Claude desktop apps (GPT-5.6 Sol, GPT-6 Astra, Claude Opus), SEO-poisoned in Google, ship ZIP releases with legitimate signed OpenAI Setup.exe / Claude executable that sideload malicious winmm.dll (YobaDropper). Dropper requires admin, creates scheduled task to sideload YobaLoader at startup. YobaLoader reads a Telegram channel profile image to generate a domain, queries Google DNS-over-HTTPS TXT record, downloads encrypted payload from Catbox. Final payload XMRig 6.26.0 via Tor; loader can deliver any EXE or PowerShell payload. Tracked two months; earlier variant posing as Cursor in early June.","published_at":"2026-10-27T13:00:10+00:00","relation":"describes","confidence":null,"note":null}],"notice":"Free to read at a human pace. An API with keys and an MCP server are in preparation; early access: hello@infrastack.ai"}