{
  "id": 17083295,
  "title": "Pluto Security Uncovers Self-Iterating Cryptominer Campaign Hidden in Hugging Face AI Models",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/pluto-security-uncovers-self-iterating-cryptominer-campaign-hidden-in",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-10-29T12:00:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "HackerNoon",
    "slug": "hackernoon",
    "url": "https://hackernoon.com/pluto-security-uncovers-self-iterating-cryptominer-campaign-hidden-in-hugging-face-ai-models?source=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A financially motivated group has been distributing cryptocurrency miners and backdoors through the Hugging Face Hub since September 2026, according to a report from security firm Pluto Security. The campaign has involved over 40 code iterations across 28 repositories, with more than 21,000 downloads as of October 25. The operators took down accounts after reporting the first wave, but a second wave appeared under new accounts within days. The attack relies on a Hugging Face feature that allows users to load models with trust_remote_code=True, which enables the download and import of a Python file from the repository. The payload contains a 42-byte file with no tensors, which passed malware scanners without detection. The miner runs in memory, disguised as a kernel worker, and can open a reverse shell to a specified IP address. The operators have been active in Chinese-speaking online communities, with specific comments in their code suggesting a connection to China. Defenders are advised to review auto_map files before setting trust_remote_code, limit privileges for untrusted code, and restrict network access.",
  "summary": "Pluto Security tracks a Hugging Face cryptominer campaign using malicious Qwen2 models, Python loaders, reverse shells, and persistent mining payloads.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}