A New Linux Malware Targeting High-Performance Computing Clusters

High-performance computing clusters belonging to university networks as well as servers associated with government agencies, endpoint security vendors, and internet service providers have been targeted by a newly discovered backdoor that gives attackers the ability to execute arbitrary commands on the systems remotely.

Cybersecurity firm ESET named the malware "Kobalos" — a nod to a "mischievous creature" of the same name from Greek mythology — for its "tiny code size and many tricks."

"Kobalos is a generic backdoor in the sense that it contains broad commands that don't reveal the intent of the attackers," researchers Marc-Etienne M. Léveillé and Ignacio Sanmillan said in a Tuesday analysis. "In short, Kobalos grants remote access to the file system, provides the ability to spawn terminal sessions, and allows proxying connections to other Kobalos-infected servers."

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