Malicious File in Downloads Folder Tries to Trick AI Coding Agent Into Installing Malware
Summary: Forever Security reported catching a malicious AGENTS.md file in a developer's Downloads folder that instructed an AI coding agent to install the known-malicious npm package function-color, and stopped the agent before any code ran; the firm could not determine how the file arrived. In testing, Codex ran the malware in more than 90% of attempts by registering a server in ~/.codex/config.toml, while a planted CLAUDE.md got a write approved about half the time that pointed Claude Code's API traffic at an attacker-controlled server and leaked the session's login token.
Key Takeaway: Forever said about half of its customers run a coding agent in their Downloads folder and roughly a quarter of agent sessions open a browser, which are exactly the conditions this attack needs: an agent starting where a web page can silently write a file it will treat as orders.
Read the original at The Hacker News ↗
- Topics
- Supply Chain & AppSec
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