Dead Drops on the Blockchain: Reversing a DPRK npm Loader (PolinRider / A6-Shadow-15)

2026-06-22 Melted In Hex

https://meltedinhex.com/posts/polinrider-blockchain-dead-drop-npm/

Thumbnail for Dead Drops on the Blockchain: Reversing a DPRK npm Loader (PolinRider / A6-Shadow-15)

Melted in Hex reverses PolinRider, a DPRK/Lazarus-attributed npm supply-chain loader hidden in the functional packages tailwind-color-shades and safe-validate. The loader executes on import, resolves encrypted stages through TRON, Aptos, and Binance Smart Chain dead drops, then contacts version-gated C2 over /$/boot with a Sec-V marker. The teardown links the chain to BeaverTail and InvisibleFerret payloads that target browser credentials, session cookies, SSH keys, cloud and npm/GitHub tokens, crypto wallets, and Windows clipboard/keylogging data. It also documents a new global['_V'] variant with A6-Shadow-15 and A6-Shadow-14 markers, attacker C2 IPs, package hashes, and a YARA rule for hunting the blockchain-loader behavior.

Indicators of Compromise

Type Value First Seen Last Seen
YARA polinrider_v_variant_blockchain… 2026-06-22 2026-06-22
HASH a048ac42b7e4c7dad4dd24e352dfe29… 2026-06-22 2026-06-22
HASH fab731cd8005d9d73a8fe862a8bfea3… 2026-06-22 2026-06-22
URL http://23.27.202.27/$/boot 2026-06-22 2026-06-22
URL http://198.105.127.210/$/boot 2026-06-12 2026-06-22
URL http://166.88.54.158/$/boot 2026-06-12 2026-06-22
IPv4 166.88.54.158 2026-04-24 2026-06-22
IPv4 198.105.127.210 2026-03-05 2026-06-22
IPv4 23.27.202.27 2025-10-20 2026-06-22

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