What Is Slopsquatting?
A new kind of cyber trick is entering the tech world, and cybercriminals call it slopsquatting. They use this strange-sounding term to describe a sneaky tactic. Cybercriminals are using it to spread harmful software. This software is called malware. It targets people who build computer programs.
To understand slopsquatting, we first need to talk about Generative AI, or GenAI. GenAI is a smart computer system that helps people by writing text, answering questions, or even writing code. Developers — the people who build websites, apps, and other digital tools — often use GenAI tools like ChatGPT or GitHub Copilot to help them write computer code faster.
But here’s where the problem starts. Sometimes, these AI tools hallucinate. In AI language, that means they make things up. They might invent a quote, suggest a book that doesn’t exist, or recommend a software package that no one has ever actually made. And in the world of computer programming, that can be dangerous.
How the Attack Works
Let’s say a developer asks an AI tool for help adding a feature to their app. The AI responds with some code and suggests installing a package — which is like a bundle of code someone else has made to save time. But that package might be fake — a made-up name that sounds real, but isn’t.
Here’s the scary part: Cybercriminals are watching. They look at the names AI tools make up — even if those names don’t exist yet — and rush to register them on popular software sites like GitHub or PyPI. That way, when a real developer copies the AI’s suggestion and searches for that fake package, they’ll find it online — and assume it’s safe. They download it, not knowing it contains malicious code.
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This trick works because the AI doesn’t always make up new names each time. In a recent study, experts found that when they asked an AI the same question ten times, 43% of the fake package names appeared every single time. That means these hallucinations can be repeated — and that makes it easier for attackers to know which names to register. Nearly 58% of these hallucinated packages came up more than once, proving that the pattern is not just random noise.
This kind of predictable behavior makes it easy for attackers to guess what the AI will say next and prepare fake packages in advance.
Why It’s a Big Deal
Even though there haven’t been any confirmed slopsquatting attacks in the wild yet, security experts believe it’s just a matter of time. The pieces are all in place AI tools are hallucinating believable names, cybercriminals are monitoring those suggestions, and developers are trusting what the AI gives them without double-checking.
This creates a perfect storm. A developer trying to save time might unknowingly install something dangerous, giving hackers access to their apps, computers, or even customer data.
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Worse still, some types of malware like Medusa ransomware are capable of disabling antivirus software. That means once they get into a system, they can shut down the very tools meant to protect it.
All of this happens because of something that seems small: a made-up name. But when it’s used in the right way, it becomes a powerful weapon in the hands of cybercriminals.
Slopsquatting may be a new term, but its impact could be widespread. And as more people rely on AI every day, knowing how these systems can be abused is the first step to staying safe.
