Aikido Shai-Hulud September 2025

Shai-Hulud has utilized double-base64 encoding to store stolen secrets within the Github Action Logs within the victim account. Shai-Hulud has also leveraged three layers of base64 encoding of exfiltrated data for anti-forensic purposes.

Shai-Hulud has used POST to exfiltrate secrets from the victim environment to an attacker-controlled URL.

Shai-Hulud has used JavaScript to create JSON file output and run scripts using node.js.

Shai-Hulud has leveraged compromised accounts to log into cloud services to access cloud hosted repositories.

Shai-Hulud has gathered victim system information.

Shai-Hulud has modified GitHub account settings for private repositories and changed them to public.

Shai-Hulud has downloaded packages from code repositories. Shai-Hulud has also downloaded and executed the secrets-discovery tool TruffleHog to gather sensitive data.

Shai-Hulud has the ability to automatically collect host data, secrets, system information, and endpoints.

Shai-Hulud has published itself on compromised code repository maintainers within infected packages in attempts to propagate to other victims. Shai-Hulud has also modified versions of code packages.

Shai-Hulud has downloaded existing packages from code repositories and extracted data stored within them.

Shai-Hulud has inserted a new lifecycle hook to include `postinstall`. Shai-Hulud has also leveraged the NPM lifecycle hook `preinstall`.

Shai-Hulud has leveraged captured valid NPM tokens to enumerate and update packages on compromised accounts. Shai-Hulud has also utilized stolen GitHub access tokens to access compromised accounts.

Shai-Hulud has gathered sensitive data stored in the Node.JS file `process.env` to include credentials and API keys. Shai-Hulud has harvested credentials stored in config files and credential files in victim environments to include `~/.aws/credentials`, `application_default_credentials.json`, and `azureProfile.json`. Shai-Hulud has also targeted credentials and tokens stored in NPM files `.npmrc` and GitHub config files.

Shai-Hulud has queried the AWS and GCP metadata endpoints for instances and service credentials.

Shai-Hulud has gathered secrets from AWS Secrets and GCP Secret Manager. Shai-Hulud has also gathered data from Azure Key Vault.

Shai-Hulud has created a repository named `Shai-Hulud` under the compromised account that commits a JSON dump that contains system information, environment variables and collected secrets. Shai-Hulud has also posted stolen credentials to public GitHub repositories.

Shai-Hulud has the ability to search open sites and code repositories for compromised credentials. Shai-Hulud has discovered packages associated with compromised accounts. Shai-Hulud has also searched code repositories for other compromised repositories that include predefined parameters or markers to include “Second Coming” combined with an 18-character alphanumeric string.

Shai-Hulud has published malicious gzip-compressed tarball (.tgz) following modification of packages within compromised accounts. Shai-Hulud has also modified packages within compromised accounts.

Shai-Hulud has also leveraged GitHub actions from stolen accounts in order to create a malicious Github workflow within `.github/workflows/discussion.yaml`.