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The number of malware strains targeting WSL is growing.

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is becoming a breeding ground for malware, cybersecurity researchers are saying.

While WSL-based malware is not particularly new (spotted as early as September 2021), it’s been rising in popularity among cybercriminals of late. Speaking to BleepingComputer, cybersecurity researchers from Lumen Technologies said they’ve managed to track more than 100 samples since then. 

The samples vary in complexity, as well as features on offer. While some are relatively simple, others enable threat actors to remotely access devices, run arbitrary code, steal authentication cookies from specific browsers, or download files.