Source code for malware that targets Qiui Cellmate device was leaked online

The source code for the ChastityLock ransomware that was used in attacks aimed at the users of the Qiui Cellmate adult toy is now publicly available.

Recently a family of ransomware was observed targeting the users of the Bluetooth-controlled Qiui Cellmate chastity device.

 Qiui Cellmate made the headlines in October when the researchers at Pen Test Partners published a report that provides details about security vulnerabilities affecting them.

Crooks were threatening the victims of locking indefinitely the device if they did not pay the ransom.

Security expert AX Sharma reported the discovery of a GitHub repository containing the ransomware code that could take over Cellmate IoT devices and control them via the smartphone app to receive a ransom amount in Bitcoins.

Ransomware operators were demanding a 0.02 BTC ransom amount (approx. $678) to the victims, the requests were sent to the victims via the Cellmate mobile app.

The availability of the ransomware code was first reported in a tweet by the user @vx-underground.

“Security Report has observed the exposed piece of code contains instructions to communicate with QIUI’s API endpoints to enumerate user’s info, send messages to the victim’s app, add friends, request a ransom amount, and perform other tasks.” wrote Ax Sharma on Security Report.

The leaked code includes information to send commands to the devices through the QIUI’s API endpoints.

The malicious code also includes a function to enumerate a list of available QIUI devices they could be targeted.

At the time Ax Sharma reported the new, the API endpoints were returning an error message (“The specified key does not exist”).

The expert warns of threat actors that could use the code to launch a cyberattack against Cellmate devices.

Whether this source code is functional or not remains debatable, but the next iteration of a copycat attack targeting your Cellmate device remains a possibility.

“However, the malware source code does reference terms like memberCode, binding, and friend requests which line up with what was in Pen Test Partners‘ original disclosure of security vulnerabilities in QIUI devices.” concludes the post.

“Whether this source code is functional or not remains debatable, but the next iteration of a copycat attack targeting your Cellmate device remains a possibility.”

The good news is that Qiui addressed the vulnerabilities exploited by the malware, users have to install the latest version of the app.

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Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, Qiui Cellmate app)

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