Fake “Claude Opus 5” GitHub Drops RevStealer

Help Net Security · High sophistication
Last updated September 1, 2026

A malicious GitHub repository impersonating Anthropic advertised a “free” Claude Opus 5 desktop app and tricked users into downloading a ZIP that silently installed RevStealer. Victims reported account takeovers after running it, and the malware is designed to steal passwords, crypto wallet data, and other sensitive information while deleting itself to reduce evidence.

Key findings

  • Attackers impersonated Anthropic and used a “free Claude Opus 5” desktop-app lure hosted on GitHub.
  • The fake project repository name and download filename were designed to look legitimate: “Claude-Opus-5-Free-Desktop” and “ClaudeOpus5-desktop.zip”.
  • Running the download showed no visible window while installing an information stealer (RevStealer) in the background.
  • A victim reported their “Microsoft and EA accounts were compromised soon after running the download.”
  • RevStealer is built to reduce evidence by streaming stolen data to a server and “finally deletes itself.”

Who’s being targeted

  • Commonly targeted roles: All employees, Developers/Engineers, IT helpdesk, Employees who install software, Teams handling crypto wallets/seed phrases (if applicable).
  • Affected industries: Technology / Software, Gaming, Cryptocurrency / Web3, Consumer online services.
  • Attack channels: github, website.
  • Impersonated: Anthropic (Claude team), Free software download site / game-cheat site operators.

Awareness takeaways

  • Treat “free access” offers for premium or unreleased tools as a high-risk warning sign, verify the source through official vendor channels before downloading anything.
  • Don’t trust lookalike GitHub repositories and branded READMEs, confirm the publisher and release links from the vendor’s official website or verified accounts.
  • Escalate immediately if you ran an installer that shows no normal behavior (no window/no prompt), that can be a sign of a silent infection and credential theft.

Red flags to watch for

  • “Free”/too-good-to-be-true access to a premium or unreleased product
  • Software distributed via an unofficial GitHub repo claiming to be a vendor
  • Installer behavior is suspicious (e.g., “Running the file opens no window”)
  • Downloads promoted via “game-cheat-themed sites”
  • Unverified download sources redirecting to executables/ZIPs
  • Pressure to install immediately to access a “free” offer
Try Mirage

Mirage safely runs attacks like this one against your own team, so you find out what happens before a real adversary does.

Get a demo
Read the video transcript

Imagine this: you grab a 'free Claude Opus 5 desktop app' from GitHub… and a few hours later, your Microsoft account is taken over. That GitHub repo is fake. It impersonates Anthropic, tells you to download ClaudeOpus5-desktop.zip, you run it, no window pops up, while RevStealer silently starts streaming out your passwords and crypto, then deletes itself. Here’s the tell: it’s offering 'free' access to a premium Claude Opus 5 desktop app from an unofficial GitHub repo. And when you run the installer, nothing normal happens, no setup wizard, no prompts, just silence. If you ever run an installer for Claude, or any tool, and it does nothing, stop and report it to IT immediately. A silent install can mean silent credential theft.

Similar attacks

Fake IT Support on Teams Enables Full Takeover

Fake IT Support on Teams Enables Full Takeover

Microsoft describes multiple real-world campaigns where attackers use trusted business workflows to trick people into granting access. One campaign impersonates IT support in Microsoft Teams to get remote control of a device, then spreads across the enterprise. Another campaign targets travelers on…

September 17, 2026
M365 “Direct Send” Abused for Internal-Looking Phish

M365 “Direct Send” Abused for Internal-Looking Phish

Researchers observed a real phishing campaign that abused Microsoft 365’s Direct Send feature to make emails look like they came from the victim organization’s own domain, without compromising an employee account. The campaign was timed to mimic human sending patterns during U.S. Eastern business…

September 14, 2026
Fake IT Helpdesk Tricks Users Into Remote Access

Fake IT Helpdesk Tricks Users Into Remote Access

This bulletin describes multiple real-world social engineering campaigns where attackers impersonate IT support or use trusted-looking sharing and “Allow” prompts to gain access. Several campaigns abuse Microsoft Teams and document-sharing lures to trick employees into installing remote tools or…

September 3, 2026
Fake Bank Calls and ClickFix Drive Data Theft

Fake Bank Calls and ClickFix Drive Data Theft

The roundup describes multiple real-world attacks where criminals manipulate people, not just systems, such as fake bank support calls that trick victims into installing phone malware, and “ClickFix” lures that convince Mac users to run malicious commands. It also highlights an AI-assisted…

August 21, 2026
Fake Claude & Perplexity Lures Push Malware

Fake Claude & Perplexity Lures Push Malware

Sophos reports real incidents where attackers impersonated well-known AI brands (especially Claude) to trick people into installing malware. The lures included polished fake installer pages that instruct victims to copy/paste commands, and browser extensions that look legitimate via high ratings…

August 21, 2026
Job Offer & Doc-Link Phishing Drive Real Breaches

Job Offer & Doc-Link Phishing Drive Real Breaches

This weekly threat bulletin describes real incidents where attackers used human manipulation to break in, including social engineering at Levi Strauss and a Microsoft 365 credential-theft phish at defense supplier IEH. It also highlights a Lazarus-linked campaign using fake job offers and…

August 17, 2026