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I’m so unbelievably stunned that this just happened. Around 5:15AM I went to put my pc back to sleep because I assumed my cat stepped on my keyboard and woke it up. I was fidgeting with my mouse because it wouldn’t work and then realized that someone was controlling my desktop. The only thing I actually witnessed them do was go into my google profile/settings and copy my phone number, then I think they noticed I was trying to click and spam my keyboard so they left. I went to my search history and they were in my bank account and also in my email. I called the bank and immediately froze my entire account. They saw my savings, my credit card, and were in my profile. I have 2 factor and did receive a code right before I woke up. I don’t think it’s possible for them to actually know my password since it just auto-filled, but they 100% have my phone number. Besides the obvious things, changing passwords, freezing my bank, what else do I need to do??? I’m so overwhelmed and shocked that I just witnessed this. Are there other steps I need to take here? I’ve been trying my best investigative work here but all I have is some search history and I was able to disable a device in my pc that allows Wake-on-LAN, so they shouldn’t be able to wake it up from sleep again. What damage can they do with my phone number? I watched him copy it. Please let me know if there are some obvious countermeasures I should be taking here. I’m so stunned I don’t even know where to start.

Edit: thank you so much everyone for your feedback. There are too many comments to respond to while I’m busy securing all my passwords and reinstalling windows. I have read many of your guys’ instructions and am taking action of many of them. Thanks again!

Edit #2: I think I found the malware. I’ve looked in a number of spots on my PC but the only thing I’ve found is a Google Chrome extension I had in the past. It was an ad blocker for streams. It was tagged “This extension contains malware”. I guess Google flagged it as malicious and took it off their store. I downloaded this like 2 years ago though so idk why this is happening now?? Anyways, PC will be wiped and I think I’ll be okay. Thanks again everyone!

TL;DR: Someone is mass-producing fake repos on GitHub (game mods, Windows utils) that lead to a Remus Botnet payload. The archive is password-protected, so GitHub's scanners can't look inside. The gateway domain's registrar (Openprovider) said no to takedown without a trademark/power of attorney or a court order. I've reported it to ICANN, the .art registry, GitHub and Google. IOCs below.

What I found

Disposable accounts create repos that look like mods for games like Project Zomboid 3D, Minecraft tools and Windows utilities. Each README sends you to an external "installation guide" page, mylunora[.]art, hosted on Vercel. The page gives you the password for an archive (Release.zip) that's attached to the repo's GitHub Release. Since the archive is encrypted, I assume GitHub's static scanning can't see the binary.

Running the extracted executable makes outbound connections to a live Remus Botnet C2 at slink4u[.]click (77.90.4[.]104:9692).

The registrar's answer

mylunora[.]art is registered through Openprovider (Hosting Concepts B.V.). I sent them sandbox traces, memory dumps and the IOCs. The reply came from a reseller, forwarded by the registrar, and refused to act because:

• I had no power of attorney or trademark registration proving I represent the impersonated brand.
• I had no binding court order or injunction.

"We cannot process your abuse report without an officially executed Power of Attorney or verified trademark registration demonstrating your standing to act on behalf of the referenced entities, or a binding court order."

So a registrar is asking for a trademark registration certificate before it will act on a documented Remus Botnet payload. I don't think a trademark or court order should be required to act on an active botnet delivery site. My reading is that this conflicts with the DNS Abuse obligations in Section 3.18 of ICANN's 2013 RAA, so I escalated it there.

How big the cluster is

GitHub's own code search doesn't show these repos, probably because of indexing filters on new accounts. Google does:

site:github.com "mylunora.art"

Add &filter=0 to the results URL to turn off duplicate grouping. You'll get 10+ pages of near-identical bot-generated repos pointing at the same gateway.

What I've reported

• ICANN Compliance, under RAA Section 3.18, for the registrar's failure to mitigate.
• The .art registry operator (UK Creative Ideas Limited), asking for an emergency serverHold.
• GitHub Trust & Safety, as a bulk ticket with the search pattern "mylunora.art".
• Google Safe Browsing, for the gateway and the payload.
• Vercel, via their abuse contact, for the gateway page.

IOCs (defanged)

• Gateway: hxxps://mylunora[.]art (hosted on Vercel)
• Archive password: i2D3*!_s
• Payload SHA-256: 5641448d894d37308d760d96a1975145ce40d258b2c94d9ba8c8a6bf05e126c3
• C2: slink4u[.]click, 77.90.4[.]104:9692 (Remus Botnet, ThreatFox IOC #1973657)
• Sandbox run: https://tria.ge/261024-nlnhyaeh32

If you've seen the same pattern with other domains or registrars, I'd like to compare notes.

I've been looking around at the job market again and this has been pretty discouraging.

I've been working in a SOC for over 5 years and have moved up a few times since starting as an Analyst I, so I'm definitely not looking at entry-level roles.

I'm looking at jobs asking for 3–5+ years of experience where I match most, if not all, of what they're looking for. Yet so many of them have 100+ applicants, sometimes several hundred.

What I don't understand is the disconnect. Cybersecurity workforce reports constantly say there's a shortage of experienced workers, especially at the mid and senior levels. But looking at actual job postings, they seem almost as flooded as entry-level roles.

Are that many qualified people actually applying? Or are people just applying whether they meet the requirements or not?

It's pretty discouraging to finally have the experience companies supposedly can't find, see a job that feels like a great match, and then realize you're applicant #300.

Lynis Hardening Index scores from different Linux distributions, tested with their default configurations.

This is only a basic comparison of the results and is not intended as a definitive measure of overall security.

If you want to run your own test, read the installation instructions:
https://github.com/cisofy/lynis

Higher score: More security measures are in place.

Lower score: More security improvements are needed.

Lynis version used in the test:
3.1.7
Lynis command:
lynis audit system

OPENSUSE TUMBLEWEED (KDE)

Hardening index : 89 [################# ]

Tests performed : 250

SECUREBLUE (KDE)

It was extremely slow during the test.

Hardening index : 79 [############### ]

Tests performed : 265

FEDORA (KDE)

Hardening index : 70 [############## ]

Tests performed : 253

ANDUINOS

Hardening index : 68 [############# ]

Tests performed : 262

VOYAGER LIVE

Hardening index : 68 [############# ]

Tests performed : 266

ENDEAVOUROS (KDE)

Hardening index : 67 [############# ]

Tests performed : 261

AURORA

Hardening index : 66 [############# ]

Tests performed : 267

BAZZITE (KDE)

Hardening index : 66 [############# ]

Tests performed : 262

GENTOO (KDE)

Hardening index : 65 [############# ]

Tests performed : 240

TUXEDOOS

Hardening index : 64 [############ ]

Tests performed : 268

CACHYOS (KDE)

Hardening index : 64 [############ ]

Tests performed : 262

NIXOS (KDE)

Hardening index : 63 [############ ]

Tests performed : 235

VOID Xfce (musl)

Hardening index : 63 [############ ]

Tests performed : 228

GARUDA (Dr460nized)

Hardening index : 62 [############ ]

Tests performed : 261

SOPLOS (Tyson)

Hardening index : 61 [############ ]

Tests performed : 265

GLF OS (KDE)

Hardening index : 60 [############ ]

Tests performed : 228

KUBUNTU

Hardening index : 59 [########### ]

Tests performed : 240

PIKAOS (KDE)

Hardening index : 59 [########### ]

Tests performed : 252

🏹 PINAKA CTF 2026 — The Battle Begins.

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Inspired by the precision, strategy, and determination of Pinaka, this CTF is designed to challenge cybersecurity enthusiasts to think beyond the obvious and solve problems with skill, creativity, and strategy.

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• Cryptography

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🌐 Online Qualification Round

📅 31 October 2026

⏱️ 24 Hours

The best performers will advance to the offline grand finale.

🏆 Offline Grand Final

📅 28 November 2026

📍 NFSU Chennai Campus

⏱️ 12 Hours

The finalists will compete across multiple formats including:

• Jeopardy

• King of the Hill

• Case Study Scenarios

Whether you are a student, CTF player, cybersecurity enthusiast, researcher, or professional — PINAKA CTF is an opportunity to test your skills, compete with talented individuals, and experience cybersecurity beyond the classroom.

The challenge is waiting.

Are you ready to take the shot? 🎯

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Organized by:

National Forensic Sciences University

Chennai Campus

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