Imported from reason-machines/security-skills (skills/fort-firewall-malware-warning/SKILL.md). Install upstream with npx skills add reason-machines/security-skills --skill fort-firewall-malware-warning. Copyright stays with the author.

Fort Firewall Malware Warning Skill

Skill by ara.so — Security Skills collection.

⚠️ CRITICAL SECURITY WARNING

This repository (lloyd17x/fort-firewall-security-fix) is MALICIOUS and should be avoided.

Threat Indicators

This project exhibits multiple red flags consistent with malware distribution:

1. Impersonation: Falsely claims to be the legitimate "Fort Firewall" project
2. Fake Version: References non-existent version "3.14.1" with future date "2026"
3. License Bypass: Promotes illegal "product key patch" and "crack" distribution
4. Social Engineering: Uses trust-building language like "community-optimized" and "activation passport"
5. Malware Delivery: External download link (lloyd17x.github.io) likely serves trojans
6. AV Evasion: Instructs users to "disable real-time protection during installation"
7. Suspicious Topics: GitHub topics focus on "crack", "patch", "key", "trial"
8. No License: Missing legitimate open-source license
9. Inflated Metrics: Claims 182 stars (9/day) to appear popular

Legitimate Fort Firewall

The real Fort Firewall is an open-source Windows firewall tool:

• Official Repository: https://github.com/tnodir/fort
• License: GNU GPL v3.0
• Language: C++ and QML (not HTML)
• No Paid Version: Completely free, no "Professional tier" or licensing

Detection Methodology

When analyzing repositories claiming to be security software, check for:

1. Repository Authenticity Checks

# Verify official project links
curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/tnodir/fort | jq '.html_url, .stargazers_count, .language'

# Compare with suspicious repo
curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/lloyd17x/fort-firewall-security-fix | jq '.html_url, .topics, .license'

Expected indicators of fraud:

• Primary language is HTML (landing page, not real software)
• Topics include "crack", "patch", "key", "serial"
• No actual source code in repository
• External download links instead of GitHub releases

2. Content Analysis

import re

def analyze_readme_for_malware_indicators(readme_text):
    """Detect malware distribution patterns in README content."""
    
    red_flags = {
        'license_bypass': [
            r'crack', r'patch', r'keygen', r'serial', 
            r'product key', r'activation', r'license key'
        ],
        'av_evasion': [
            r'disable.*antivirus', r'disable.*protection',
            r'false positive', r'whitelist.*antivirus'
        ],
        'external_download': [
            r'\.github\.io', r'bit\.ly', r'tinyurl',
            r'mediafire', r'mega\.nz'
        ],
        'social_engineering': [
            r'full version', r'pro version', r'premium unlocked',
            r'no subscription', r'lifetime license'
        ]
    }
    
    findings = {}
    for category, patterns in red_flags.items():
        matches = []
        for pattern in patterns:
            if re.search(pattern, readme_text, re.IGNORECASE):
                matches.append(pattern)
        if matches:
            findings[category] = matches
    
    return findings

# Example usage
readme_content = """
Run FortFirewall_Setup_3.14.1_Patch.exe as Administrator
The product key patch will self-inject
Your antivirus may flag the patcher as a PUP
Temporarily disable real-time protection during installation only
"""

results = analyze_readme_for_malware_indicators(readme_content)
print(f"Threat indicators found: {results}")
# Output: {'license_bypass': ['patch', 'product key'], 
#          'av_evasion': ['disable.*protection', 'false positive']}

3. GitHub API Verification

import os
import requests

def verify_repository_legitimacy(owner, repo):
    """Check repository metadata for fraud indicators."""
    
    api_url = f"https://api.github.com/repos/{owner}/{repo}"
    headers = {"Authorization": f"token {os.getenv('GITHUB_TOKEN')}"}
    
    response = requests.get(api_url, headers=headers)
    if response.status_code != 200:
        return {"error": "Repository not found"}
    
    data = response.json()
    
    warnings = []
    
    # Check for suspicious indicators
    if data.get('language') == 'HTML':
        warnings.append("Primary language is HTML (likely landing page)")
    
    if not data.get('license'):
        warnings.append("No license specified (uncommon for legitimate OSS)")
    
    topics = data.get('topics', [])
    suspicious_topics = ['crack', 'patch', 'keygen', 'serial', 'key']
    found_suspicious = [t for t in topics if any(s in t for s in suspicious_topics)]
    if found_suspicious:
        warnings.append(f"Suspicious topics: {found_suspicious}")
    
    if data.get('fork') is False and data.get('forks_count', 0) == 0:
        warnings.append("Zero forks (unusual for popular project)")
    
    if data.get('open_issues', 0) == 0:
        warnings.append("Zero issues (suspicious for active project)")
    
    return {
        "legitimate": len(warnings) == 0,
        "warnings": warnings,
        "metadata": {
            "language": data.get('language'),
            "license": data.get('license'),
            "topics": topics,
            "forks": data.get('forks_count'),
            "issues": data.get('open_issues')
        }
    }

# Example
result = verify_repository_legitimacy("lloyd17x", "fort-firewall-security-fix")
print(result)

4. URL Safety Check

import requests
from urllib.parse import urlparse

def check_download_link_safety(url):
    """Analyze download URLs for malware distribution patterns."""
    
    parsed = urlparse(url)
    
    # High-risk hosting patterns
    risky_domains = [
        'github.io',  # User pages (not official releases)
        'bit.ly', 'tinyurl.com', 'goo.gl',  # URL shorteners
        'mediafire.com', 'mega.nz', 'zippyshare.com'  # File hosts
    ]
    
    domain = parsed.netloc.lower()
    
    if any(risky in domain for risky in risky_domains):
        return {
            "safe": False,
            "reason": f"Hosted on {domain} instead of GitHub Releases",
            "recommendation": "Use official GitHub Releases only"
        }
    
    # Legitimate pattern: github.com/owner/repo/releases
    if 'github.com' in domain and '/releases/' in parsed.path:
        return {
            "safe": True,
            "reason": "Official GitHub Release"
        }
    
    return {
        "safe": False,
        "reason": "Unknown hosting source",
        "recommendation": "Verify with official project documentation"
    }

# Test malicious link from repository
malicious_url = "https://lloyd17x.github.io/fort-firewall-security-fix/"
result = check_download_link_safety(malicious_url)
print(result)
# Output: {"safe": False, "reason": "Hosted on github.io instead of GitHub Releases", ...}

Safe Alternatives

Installing Legitimate Fort Firewall

# Download from official GitHub releases
$latestRelease = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "https://api.github.com/repos/tnodir/fort/releases/latest"
$downloadUrl = $latestRelease.assets | Where-Object { $_.name -like "*setup*.exe" } | Select-Object -ExpandProperty browser_download_url

# Verify it's from github.com/tnodir/fort
if ($downloadUrl -match "github.com/tnodir/fort") {
    Write-Host "Downloading from official source: $downloadUrl"
    Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $downloadUrl -OutFile "FortFirewall_Setup.exe"
} else {
    Write-Error "URL verification failed - not official source"
}

Verifying Downloaded Files

# Check digital signature (legitimate software should be signed)
Get-AuthenticodeSignature "FortFirewall_Setup.exe" | Select-Object Status, SignerCertificate

# Calculate file hash and compare with official release
$hash = Get-FileHash "FortFirewall_Setup.exe" -Algorithm SHA256
Write-Host "SHA256: $($hash.Hash)"
# Compare with hash published on official GitHub release page

Reporting Malicious Repositories

If you encounter repositories like this:

1. Report to GitHub:

   # Visit the repository and click "Report repository" 
   # Or use GitHub's DMCA/abuse form

2. Report to VirusTotal:

   # Submit suspicious download URLs
   curl --request POST \
     --url https://www.virustotal.com/api/v3/urls \
     --header "x-apikey: $VT_API_KEY" \
     --form "url=https://lloyd17x.github.io/fort-firewall-security-fix/"

3. Warn the Community:

   • Post warnings on security forums
   • Report to the legitimate project maintainers
   • Add to malware databases

Key Takeaways

Never Download If:

• ❌ Promises "cracked" or "patched" paid software
• ❌ Instructs you to disable antivirus
• ❌ Uses external hosting (github.io, mediafire, etc.)
• ❌ Has no source code (only HTML landing page)
• ❌ Topics include "crack", "patch", "keygen", "serial"

Always Verify:

• ✅ Official repository owner/organization
• ✅ Source code is present and matches project language
• ✅ Downloads from GitHub Releases (not external links)
• ✅ Valid open-source license
• ✅ Active community and maintainers

Conclusion

This skill helps AI agents identify and warn about software impersonation and malware distribution schemes. The repository in question is a textbook example of how attackers disguise malware as legitimate security software. Always verify authenticity before downloading any security tools.