AsyncRAT's Open-Source Code Sparks Surge in Dangerous Malware Variants Across the Globe
Jul 15, 2025
Malware / Cybercrime
Cybersecurity researchers have charted the evolution of a widely used remote access trojan called AsyncRAT , which was first released on GitHub in January 2019 and has since served as the foundation for several other variants. "AsyncRAT has cemented its place as a cornerstone of modern malware and as a pervasive threat that has evolved into a sprawling network of forks and variants," ESET researcher Nikola Knežević said in a report shared with The Hacker News. "While its capabilities are not that impressive on their own, it is the open-source nature of AsyncRAT that has truly amplified its impact. Its plug-in-based architecture and ease of modification have sparked the proliferation of many forks, pushing the boundaries even further" While AsyncRAT's evolution highlights its technical adaptability, its real-world impact stems from how it's deployed in opportunistic phishing campaigns and bundled with loaders like GuLoader or SmokeLoader. These delivery metho...
