Imported from reason-machines/security-skills (skills/malware-distribution-awareness/SKILL.md) via skills.sh. Install upstream with npx skills add reason-machines/security-skills --skill malware-distribution-awareness. Copyright stays with the author.

Malware Distribution Awareness Skill

Skill by ara.so — Security Skills collection.

⚠️ CRITICAL SECURITY WARNING

This repository is NOT legitimate software. This is a malware distribution operation disguised as security software.

Red Flags Identified

1. Fraudulent Purpose

• Claims to offer "cracked" or "pre-activated" commercial antivirus software
• Distributing paid software without authorization is illegal
• Legitimate security software is never distributed with "cracks" or "keygens"

2. Malicious Indicators

• Topics include: "defender-bypass", "thread-hijacking", "exploit-mitigation"
• These are malware techniques, not legitimate antivirus features
• No actual README or documentation
• Suspicious star velocity (3 stars/day, likely botted)

3. Distribution Pattern

• Uses official product names (Bitdefender) without authorization
• Promises "full version license key pre-activated"
• Targets Windows users (common malware vector)
• Zero forks despite stars (fake engagement)

What This Actually Is

This is a malware distribution repository using SEO optimization and social engineering to:

1. Attract users searching for pirated antivirus software
2. Distribute trojans, ransomware, or cryptocurrency miners
3. Compromise systems while users believe they're installing security software
4. Steal credentials, financial data, or establish backdoors

Safe Alternatives

Get Legitimate Antivirus Software

# Windows Defender is built-in and free
# Update Windows Defender signatures
Update-MpSignature

# Scan system
Start-MSScan -ScanType QuickScan

Official Bitdefender Sources

Official website: https://www.bitdefender.com
Official trials: Available directly from Bitdefender
Student/nonprofit discounts: Available through official channels

Free Legitimate Antivirus Options

• Windows Defender (built into Windows 10/11)
• Bitdefender Free Edition (official)
• Avast Free Antivirus (official)
• AVG Free Antivirus (official)

Detection and Remediation

If You've Downloaded Files From This Repository

# Immediately disconnect from network
Disable-NetAdapter -Name "*"

# Run full system scan with Windows Defender
Start-MSScan -ScanType FullScan

# Check for suspicious processes
Get-Process | Where-Object {$_.Company -notlike "Microsoft*"} | 
    Select-Object Name, Path, Company

# Review startup items
Get-CimInstance Win32_StartupCommand | 
    Select-Object Name, Command, Location

Check for Compromise Indicators

# Review recent network connections
Get-NetTCPConnection | Where-Object State -eq "Established" |
    Select-Object LocalAddress, RemoteAddress, OwningProcess

# Check scheduled tasks created recently
Get-ScheduledTask | Where-Object {
    $_.Date -gt (Get-Date).AddDays(-7)
} | Select-Object TaskName, TaskPath, State

# Examine recent file modifications
Get-ChildItem C:\Windows\System32 -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
    Where-Object {$_.LastWriteTime -gt (Get-Date).AddDays(-1)} |
    Select-Object FullName, LastWriteTime

Reporting Malware Distribution

Report to GitHub

# Report the repository
# Navigate to: https://github.com/contact/report-abuse
# Select: "It contains malware or viruses"
# Provide repository URL

Report to Bitdefender

Email: piracy@bitdefender.com
Subject: Unauthorized distribution using Bitdefender brand
Include: Repository URL and description

Report to Security Researchers

# URLhaus (malware URL reporting)
# https://urlhaus.abuse.ch/

# VirusTotal (if files are available)
# https://www.virustotal.com/

Educating Users

How to Identify Fake Software Repositories

1. No legitimate software uses "crack", "keygen", or "pre-activated"
2. Check repository age vs. stars (rapid artificial growth)
3. Read the topics/tags (malware techniques mixed with product names)
4. No real code or documentation (just download links)
5. Zero community engagement (no issues, discussions, or meaningful commits)

Code to Validate Repository Legitimacy

package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "strings"
)

type RepoAnalysis struct {
    Name        string
    Description string
    Topics      []string
    HasReadme   bool
    StarsPerDay float64
}

func AnalyzeRepositoryRisk(repo RepoAnalysis) string {
    redFlags := 0
    warnings := []string{}

    // Check for piracy keywords
    piracyKeywords := []string{"crack", "keygen", "pre-activated", "license key"}
    for _, keyword := range piracyKeywords {
        if strings.Contains(strings.ToLower(repo.Description), keyword) {
            redFlags++
            warnings = append(warnings, fmt.Sprintf("Piracy keyword detected: %s", keyword))
        }
    }

    // Check for malware technique topics
    malwareTopics := []string{"defender-bypass", "thread-hijacking", "exploit-mitigation"}
    for _, topic := range repo.Topics {
        for _, malTopic := range malwareTopics {
            if topic == malTopic {
                redFlags++
                warnings = append(warnings, fmt.Sprintf("Malware topic detected: %s", topic))
            }
        }
    }

    // Check for missing documentation
    if !repo.HasReadme {
        redFlags++
        warnings = append(warnings, "No README documentation")
    }

    // Check for suspicious star velocity
    if repo.StarsPerDay > 2 {
        redFlags++
        warnings = append(warnings, fmt.Sprintf("Suspicious star velocity: %.1f/day", repo.StarsPerDay))
    }

    if redFlags >= 3 {
        return fmt.Sprintf("🚨 HIGH RISK - Likely malware distribution\n%s", strings.Join(warnings, "\n"))
    } else if redFlags >= 1 {
        return fmt.Sprintf("⚠️  SUSPICIOUS - Exercise extreme caution\n%s", strings.Join(warnings, "\n"))
    }
    return "✅ No obvious red flags detected"
}

Summary

DO NOT USE THIS REPOSITORY. It is a malware distribution operation designed to compromise systems while appearing to offer legitimate security software. Always obtain software from official sources, and never trust "cracked" or "pre-activated" versions of commercial software.

If you need antivirus protection, use built-in Windows Defender or obtain legitimate free/trial versions from official vendors.