Sometimes the job interview just wants to gain code exec on your machine:

mushu@social.troll.academy

@sol_hsa yeah - I also think it's bigger than a single editor. Jetbrains does it too: https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/project-security.html

Not even starting to think about editors that are more 'AI enabled' ^^

fischkind@chaos.social · runjak.codes/posts/2026-01-21-

@mushu Maybe the real coding challenge was getting their repos deleted and now they'll offer you a job as their head of cyber security?

freya@raru.re · runjak.codes/posts/2026-01-21-

@mushu I hope you find less adversarial prospective employers!

cppguy@infosec.space · runjak.codes/posts/2026-01-21-

@mushu

Something I still don't understand (and didn't understand when I saw @0xabad1dea 's original post): why would crims target out-of-work developers, who are more tech-savvy than most people, probably don't have much money just now, and don't have access to company codebases?

0xabad1dea@infosec.exchange

@CppGuy @mushu most people applying to non-entry-level programming jobs are not out of work, the industry is notorious for requiring job hopping every two years as the only way to get a raise...

additionally, many of these fake job openings are specifically in cryptocoins/gambling/etc and people applying to them are more likely to have random wallet keys lying around.

mushu@social.troll.academy

@freya thanks
If fedi is any measure there are amazing, kind people out there. Some of them even do software.

agitatra@berlin.social · runjak.codes/posts/2026-01-21-

@mushu Did I got it wrong or was this a: "No Backup, No Mercy"-situation? I mean who gives more than strictly limited write access to strangers?
BTW: I got my first it-job as a tester by crashing their system during the interview.

ben@mastodon.lubar.me · runjak.codes/posts/2026-01-21-

@mushu I wonder if anyone has made something that intentionally looks interesting to corporations that might be looking to steal code and ignore its license and added a .vscode/tasks.json that plays a really loud fart sound when executed

zedaardv@mastodon.world · runjak.codes/posts/2026-01-21-

@mushu
Wow, reading these comments made me remember this job I had briefly (over 15 years ago) in Stockholm.

I had a mac laptop, my work laptop was also a mac. And I was working with Postgres.

I had the job for about 2 weeks before they let me go.

I noticed at some point that they had installed a root-kit on my computer.
(the were a sports betting company)

mushu@social.troll.academy

@zedaardv outch - sorry to hear that 🫤

I mean there are some cases where device surveillance makes sense from a compliance perspective, but it should never be a surprise and be clearly documented upfront.

uint8_t@chaos.social · runjak.codes/posts/2026-01-21-

@mushu I wonder what the payload script contained

nycki@bark.lgbt · runjak.codes/posts/2026-01-21-

@mushu okay, why does she even HAVE that lever?

un_bourguignon@piaille.fr · runjak.codes/posts/2026-01-21-

@mushu
Let's say that their security is bad as f*ck... And, if they can't do any restore, their resilience is even badder.
@R1Rail

morl99@hessen.social

@joshix @mushu interesting, I have never felt the need for this: https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/settings-tools-startup-tasks.html

Maybe something for other ecosystems...

stepan@f.cz

@CppGuy maybe they hope the victims own some more popular repository or a package on something like npm so they can then infect developers who do have access to company stuff and have money. @mushu @0xabad1dea

mushu@social.troll.academy · runjak.codes/posts/2026-01-21-

Thanks to @cxiao for highlighting these:

https://www.jamf.com/blog/threat-actors-expand-abuse-of-visual-studio-code/
https://opensourcemalware.com/blog/contagious-interview-vscode

.. I do know that the version of tokenlinux.sh I retrieved also downloads node and executes something with it.

mushu@social.troll.academy

@uint8_t might've been this: https://social.troll.academy/@mushu/115941118741449240

cxiao@infosec.exchange

@mushu np, glad it didn't get you in this case and thanks for writing it up to warn others!

zedaardv@mastodon.world

@mushu Yeah, it was a weird place.

They wouldn't tell me what they wanted me to do, then got mad at me when I didn't do it.

Like I was supposed to be a mind reader.

xinit@mastodon.coffee · runjak.codes/posts/2026-01-21-

@mushu "To me this is the visual language of Blockchain/NFT scams mixed with the butthole motifs that AI companies like so much."

Beautifully written

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Sometimes the job interview just wants to gain code exec on your machine: