Cyber Security News

New Aokigahara Malware Targets ChatGPT, Claude, Codex, and Cursor Login Credentials

A newly observed Windows infostealer called Aokigahara is targeting login credentials and session data associated with ChatGPT Desktop, Claude, Codex, and Cursor.

The malware searches infected computers for authentication files and application storage, extending familiar password theft into the AI tools developers increasingly use for everyday work.

The threat is not evidence that these AI services have been breached. Instead, attackers collect locally stored information that may help them access accounts.

Similar AI coding agent theft has shown why tokens, saved connections, and project records deserve the same protection as browser passwords and cloud keys.

Researchers from Check Point identified Aokigahara in the wild and detailed its capabilities in an October 23 research report.

New Aokigahara Malware

They noted that an earlier version may have been known as Kamidere or Stygian, while stressing that the operators’ methods for making money from stolen information remain unconfirmed.

A dedicated collection module named aisessions searches for data linked to Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex, ChatGPT Desktop, and Cursor.

Its scope also covers Windsurf, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, JetBrains AI Assistant, Amazon Q, and Kiro. The module additionally queries Windows Credential Manager for stored credential information.

For Claude, collection targets include credential files and desktop application folders. Codex targets include authentication, configuration, and environment files.

Cursor’s local storage databases are also selected, while ChatGPT Desktop’s application cache is searched. These locations may contain useful secrets, but not every targeted file necessarily holds a password or token.

Earlier reporting on Aoki credential stealing described similar interest in AI application data. The practical risk depends on whether collected secrets remain valid and reusable: working session tokens could give attackers account access without requiring them to enter the victim’s password again.

That access could expose private conversations, uploaded material, or development information. Attackers might also consume paid services or resell compromised accounts.

Check Point described these as potential outcomes, not confirmed activity by Aokigahara’s operators, and raised possible data extortion where stolen access reveals sensitive business content.

A separate ide module widens collection to Git credentials, SSH files that may contain private keys, and AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud configuration data.

Alongside its AI focus, Aokigahara steals browser credentials and cookies, captures screenshots and clipboard contents, and collects wallet, messaging, VPN, and email application data.

Evasion, Encrypted Uploads, and Incident Response

Aokigahara includes optional checks designed to frustrate malware analysis. Depending on configuration, it examines debugger indicators, virtual machine traces, hardware resources, process counts, and mouse movement.

It can also stop running when keyboard or Windows interface language settings match an excluded group, including Russian, Ukrainian, and several regional languages.

Its configuration is encrypted with AES-256-CBC and controls which built-in collection modules execute. It also stores server details, communication settings, and fallback destinations.

Importantly, disabled collection modules remain embedded in the executable, so the capabilities present in a sample may exceed those enabled during a particular run.

The malware packages collected information into ZIP archives, then encrypts uploads using AES-256-GCM. An X25519 key exchange helps establish the encryption key.

Separate requests open an upload session, transfer each collection category, and mark completion. The latest analyzed samples use a Windows-looking User-Agent string, although that string alone cannot prove infection.

Upload headers identify the collection category and sequence number, allowing the server to separate browser data from AI sessions and other stolen material.

The final completion message signals that the upload phase ended; it does not independently confirm that every stolen archive reached the server.

The wider trend is already visible in incidents involving a fake Gemini npm package that targeted local data from several AI tools.

That separate campaign does not establish Aokigahara’s delivery method; it shows how developer workflows have become attractive places to collect reusable access credentials.

For defenders, the collection pattern supports monitoring unexpected processes that read AI authentication stores, editor databases, cloud credentials, and SSH material.

Network findings should be checked alongside endpoint evidence rather than treated as standalone proof. Check Point also published a YARA rule to support identification of the malware.

After a suspected infection, responders should isolate the device and use a clean system to revoke AI sessions, rotate exposed keys, and review connected cloud and repository accounts.

Resetting passwords alone may leave stolen sessions usable. Teams should also review AI account activity and determine whether sensitive conversations or uploaded files were accessible.

The findings concern theft from compromised endpoints, not a demonstrated vulnerability in ChatGPT, Claude, Codex, or Cursor.

Organizations should therefore include AI application sessions in their existing infostealer response plans rather than treating them as ordinary application settings.

Indicators of compromise (IoCs):-

TypeIndicatorDescription
IP address and port2[.]26[.]252[.]48:8080Aokigahara command-and-control infrastructure
Domaindfwioeiofwr[.]infoAokigahara command-and-control infrastructure
Domaindobeqnesmot[.]ccAokigahara command-and-control infrastructure
Subdomaingate[.]dfwioeiofwr[.]infoAokigahara command-and-control infrastructure
Domainhjazfioe[.]surfAokigahara command-and-control infrastructure
Domainkkeyyou[.]ccAokigahara command-and-control infrastructure
Domainneihite[.]ccAokigahara command-and-control infrastructure
Domainsomelitersofblood[.]pwAokigahara command-and-control infrastructure
SHA-18d6c86e0af7807f9b5baf15e9f076bb81e012515Dropped clipper component

The following table reproduces all 150 Aokigahara sample SHA-1 hashes. Each cell represents a separate sample; columns do not indicate relationships between samples.

Aokigahara SHA-1Aokigahara SHA-1Aokigahara SHA-1
007137599bc4d69ee952a5228b5fcb2c3b9a95a700d52c7e759d878f0d8a117502f6d854af13f00704eddccb79db41e03a4ee8542e8a33d7f1d9fe18
057a2d1dedeb93b7765c455a9e0c469e7cbe4843079ddf5cc7d6ca2e02f860f87d4d18c83db9d3310b74ce90a39278fb97fe94f6306af71cbe679503
0c46ac5555cf8f305c1345a21d0802c52bf52cd80d8d0bad2e08856ba379e425e2e90e49506af6310e76150cee3f2b89f0fbe39106ab2898db109f09
0f69792cb926a416766d47a30a05009c13be0d64130f2710cf9863bdd6724e8912600505b6fb7ef2133dc00ad81638e6b0a2f8f163b4d694ce477165
151d8013ca3ab3dab9cd37f4ed9870cc83e87a771701db4fa798b309cb25227408406dde4c69de8a1835f1e0b1eda3dc4b39682ecad3eba88cbbc44e
18e041b5a0c668392ff4d036f3f9660c2698311e1a6a6e08a01cc3f1455af2c4ecd59a3d7802cd7a1a7248720f3ac79082841b006582f20799b314a9
1a97a18db74f2b6df984c9a188a79b4e65a06b811cb6ccfdcb277a0277729443d15f17a441fa0eda1cb8dc11bdb8baf342b83079fb650cd6bb1b132d
1e072236f87cd914dc583ca2163460d656bfcfba1e94d7f1d501724076fcf98459e14b68321d45f72045f165d737f2d43ba603d444dfa5d9e6f05805
211e45f306b84a82cfe736635c176a424e7479dc21ef070e39f651118a804882374dc2dfa3e386662362a326070d83c167251873b389bd783781cf6c
241e37b8fc5ffeefbd1d89a82b74cf2d92b49eac244371fc1642f0548b807b0a4a2e7ea5d7b4c82a28099fc5a8cbbd40173f8ac0aded9044fdb4a598
2cdc77108c585d14b1567053b8f8a58ea78c255f2f30b116ca3dc48ff5783c3bb7391d671866e27b30737fa46f2ff93e33f45008cf306233954ea898
324e0fffc7977f8ff591993819123d33c29709533586eeaf3ffe2c3a4f1d005aee863b7aee7cc7bd3696baa239c479f9f5103618214972890f1a473b
385e21a96687a33f79f9cab0627aec7218e1a8f438b2c29b46086b417181deb958e8b276a9d1fbf43aaeb49864108c92af50feeb5d9e3b3efaa39818
3c56a0c3c59a1425bfdcdffda9e8b308f478b147426bea548a24f7f39c279770b5dd21fbed7f73284417d2645adb6e7e94959daf483f93058500840f
4485feb1385975ef13f08148cdc679f50fa0cc6d456414c0acf463e06f95f5bd3d8355758fca6b534595d1875441ffb8c076856e366d1f4f5c74a679
48c6b66dc4b4d40d72b7460e6fd670b6c03d5d404b3a4ad0acd43fc8796147381074a98e8e5769044c07021f8b0cdd3ca334a13f9af2bade9e699dc2
50060c0fc5fa8932671eb24b03b05d00c2e9995151ae6cad54f33846f83a352457b9a44ef8b7a61d59bbaca8a848215e7e4af7cec320432c51b0b812
5ef7eb755f1e3f6bf8586794777466a639057dcb5fadf206dc163f63ebf66f984042b00c671218135fe11fbb89d33efa712ffb8590626bd88fecab8f
61a024f5a42a9a91b0a9871a1613c7fb3ef5613b62dcc9ba2a5eee9dd941ad08766603c89a45869b6393c0d3fb76f771a9418c2d152c621929ee002b
63cc5033532cd00bda3d4968b1257629e613505a682dd6392004e1131b1aa3f2351a0bc7adb84d14699c809a116106da40b3f641c11b0db34d0f1c5e
6a09fffca381f6624d2def1083284ca486306e7c6c860007f8f49de8e9848b538bd7acdc6bfcdf556e073a196a9bfa01da418b5783c2395fb22c7ec9
6eb8f17dba69f6d25b7f5c529b25d199707b69e26f7d5935602c188b1e3066b4ab9aeef7b85a8ec270915fac07af4ad7acc1868fe05dc00b98206f0f
70d4007b11e56752fffb81f71c90987f4bb441fa70e91644802053cfa68be6ec0f94207282ff27e47233a15327dc2f0cca0292e6352eebf6e6e090d8
72aa6417a19c45dabdd6c79087fb13c73ae7b8237cc6c75fad93b2482a9c5f4522530007c72f99e082ebfc09c98bd211ff8b08efcd8ec8b9ce1fb4be
83b43ce0ee9881201451c0604fb5b792bd4581f586230c07e638b85bc8010df1aa9e33ca61fda4cc89f296aef7988bdd59109e4263d0a31c886770aa
8b0cf62382f620bbbf5d176295d63ed522ab9c2c8c3111a61fbf30e86b8206397ce3c0017e5ea5098c4c1d8325adb463c34694ce3a5a851e97b81a6f
8d7a81119ce7be6eb452192f08fa2669228ff5978d860ca64ce0cbf40871fd66b9e3a513e73cda908dc40b7208b8c0d95d1ab8dda9a56fff790b3ddd
8e9fd1274b77ff9726c4637d008a9d599c9d5f1e9003310bf73dc337b8b50131f1c0724a79161aac90c057dafefbee423e3014266218272d454a0aa3
912ed8ce7767f94f62de6a30fb8e9df7c0c512f79369e0e5eae22cff71b375ad285ea89471f2510197c80e2d382e6e55f61702da3afb838fdec2f4f1
98c6649cc256dfadf1af939da46f037b05c0f2e599b28a20851a3ed29769a469f4dd31ebbb8a83de9d424ce23753ffddc7b39477222123b0f2c33066
9f05045f5447d79c8c0d0f5cb589fd85c89620d39f20034441e78574aec7ad39842a342f939eaf6aa00da33342a5ea5168d851a5c93109e07cf95c49
a2abdf1af38da9995a3b6672ce6c34e9e17c39a4a4871f4a61faf74e1cceaffe26901f6076c9f37ea63ded811d412cd0f859891b0c1f066b87bb1b80
a84148b4d408544325c20ee04299ae95c762b6a2ad960d2abb1999a7260c5f498532a5bb8754c2a5ae9d6b1a32a45b05edb920538e538a3d6a5fe439
af196456d2ebf9556ab239661922565e1bca9ac0b335483800d35a29c25767c917725e24c21b0f2bb33e59c598845d2547ddc7f654115df2284bb3ae
b36d0796e33f808eaeb33b33908327a410680c56b4491f1919a88deedebe7fba56b593e7d6655458b523d56d82485253f2e3619437c8398b7ee0f20d
b607025d3e06d1e8cffcd398c64871d7fcd92bf4b6f0dfd3aa2fc7b8b2ad432c4a4276da23ceb46bbab4c910e3c98085bf228519f346d071a75e44e3
bad339c5ad65808285b0e87498f2ea6f669417d9c00aceaa40b38e48f662ac927bb86302934aaf96c2e28ba5523c1f3a545a0b4a00a9d5e9c8ae7583
c323c59815082ac842f0bafcc01f537444e1cc5ac5b50b5e14dfb5e028dfd88a4e4fb960dd650b52c810acdf30bcdfc6e8021e7f62a3bcce0828c2ee
c8456bb71a74ed6305455c318295b8a39e9277f3cbdff0df0dbdbc3c1845d208661dd75fd335ef93cc12fcb9e5e6f7afde66f5c3452ed6e3cd6d5390
cc708ae3d7aa084279122c0db7250096f750d6b0d34491da5aa159314129c0ff67f957d873703e35d3c90275dd7279a791d717676be15789376f7aa7
d8bfff5139b54b6f98f07c051cd25d7aa465fec8da986a3cb2ce67456ef374fbdd957d370a1a4367daef439e1f110d624ce50fe0f9d9d24f61f7497b
db3332ce75676389b79cf3603d81cb231cb7c19cdb69c7c930fd5dc5097847979a965fdea4171d5bdba5fef27b53ff479a4d7046cd1f22710081a16c
de9d152010819c8fb5cb611a4de920399e69cfebdfd1540c0185e74ec65acfcae1af7ba0da36c774e052ff49190f54e0ffc52f7b3f7b5e7b9e121c4c
e3af6d9e3b35e5e04feda3cde96256dd3b099624e4d93fa1b2d0fd26e8b877511ea33badb4628169e5c43abd1c212b2f2a61d5e1cb7821406ca5dc8e
e8d09eb2e5857fde39b44aeb48078f5396809026ec7cd90d56e5b73caa9d4eb0472bfee68d716121eec7ece53d47e50940584f4dec684a24a78f42f2
f0b23f420659babb3a730b122259440091c53c12f30e9730db0663f87c67a4b9a0cf12ee59b1621af35e6d2936c0f6dc26bdc68f6d1599cf438a863a
f4184e1bb61e19d190555c50fdb9d4591767bf53f47d45eea1c42b066f8537baf72ffa266646bf62f5993e64a18e7494b25a185de9f63a1df961b99a
f633fc9fd16dadca2725d3d54aaf13ea1a62174ff6d950a5a8e5ba336f748b66745c6c1f189d3362f8cf33b18e9932d285696fee40a7fee2a87341c2
f8dbc552c89bef758e4fcbd9942d06bc0c11db0af990bf4f05dfa4d86b3e3bc0a54f62e91b83f2c6fa61cf3bebefd88ea9d06007a4b85791aa851c8a
fbe8708247fabd8a1bc3963db3911b5e77728669fe6b7d6fa8c2424d14a0d465ab78aaf83db0d07bff402e64bc42222c8a4ee703123903c2a2117dd9

Additional source-reported network and file artifacts can support behavioral hunting. Unlike the listed sample hashes and command-and-control destinations, these artifacts are not necessarily malicious in isolation.

Artifact typeSource-reported valueContext
HTTP endpoint/gate/handshakeEstablishes an upload session
HTTP endpoint/gate/chunkReceives encrypted stolen-data archives
HTTP endpoint/gate/completeReceives the completion notification
HTTP User-AgentMicrosoft-CryptoAPI/10.0Used by the latest analyzed samples
HTTP headersX-Build-ID, X-Gate-Token, X-Session, X-HWID, X-KEX, X-Chunk, X-Chunk-IndexCommunication and upload metadata
Upload categoryaisessionsIdentifies collected AI application data
Configuration section.stgcfgStores encrypted malware configuration
Configuration markerSTGCIdentifies the encrypted configuration structure
Component directoryC:\Microsoft\VaultLocation beneath which the clipper component is dropped
YARA stringsAKGRES, AISessions/, aokigahara, kamidereStrings included in Check Point’s detection rule

Note: IP addresses and domains are intentionally defanged (e.g., [.]) to prevent accidental resolution or hyperlinking. Re-fang only within controlled threat intelligence platforms such as MISP, VirusTotal, or your SIEM.

Give your SOC the alert context to stops incidents quickly. Integrate Threat Intel from 16K SOCs.

Tushar Subhra Dutta

Tushar is a senior cybersecurity and breach reporter. He specializes in covering cybersecurity news, trends, and emerging threats, data breaches, and malware attacks. With years of experience, he brings clarity and depth to complex security topics.

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