
avast-premium-security-detection
Identify and analyze suspicious software distribution repositories claiming to offer cracked or pirated security software
- Installs
- 1.1K
- Last 24h
- —
- Trending rank
- —
- Security
- Not audited
Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/reason-machines/security-skills --skill avast-premium-security-detection- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads avast-premium-security-detection automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Avast Premium Security Repository Analysis
Skill by ara.so — Security Skills collection.
Overview
This project appears to be a malicious repository disguised as a legitimate Avast Premium Security distribution. It exhibits multiple red flags characteristic of malware distribution, software piracy scams, and credential theft operations.
Critical Warning Signs
Repository Indicators
- Claims to offer "Full Version Installer" with "Keygen Activation"
- Promises "Pre-Activated" license keys and "Premium Loader Serial"
- Uses excessive emojis and keyword stuffing in description
- High artificial star growth rate (5 stars/day) suggesting manipulation
- No actual README content provided
- C++ language tag despite likely being a malware dropper
- Zero forks and zero open issues (suspicious for "popular" software)
Malware Distribution Patterns
// Typical pattern in fake security software repos:
// 1. Claims legitimate branding (Avast, Norton, McAfee)
// 2. Offers "cracked" or "activated" versions
// 3. Contains executables that are actually:
// - Ransomware
// - Cryptominers
// - Information stealers
// - Backdoors/RATs
Detection Methods
Static Analysis Indicators
// Check for common malware signatures in executables
#include <iostream>
#include <fstream>
#include <vector>
bool checkSuspiciousStrings(const std::string& filePath) {
std::vector<std::string> suspiciousPatterns = {
"keygen",
"crack",
"patch",
"loader",
"activator",
"powershell.exe -encodedcommand",
"\\AppData\\Roaming\\",
"discord.com/api/webhooks/",
"pastebin.com/raw/",
"C2_SERVER"
};
std::ifstream file(filePath, std::ios::binary);
if (!file.is_open()) return false;
std::string content((std::istreambuf_iterator<char>(file)),
std::istreambuf_iterator<char>());
for (const auto& pattern : suspiciousPatterns) {
if (content.find(pattern) != std::string::npos) {
std::cout << "ALERT: Found suspicious pattern: "
<< pattern << std::endl;
return true;
}
}
return false;
}
Repository Metadata Analysis
#include <nlohmann/json.hpp>
#include <string>
struct RepoRiskScore {
int score = 0;
std::vector<std::string> flags;
void analyzeMetadata(const nlohmann::json& metadata) {
// Check description for piracy keywords
std::string desc = metadata.value("description", "");
std::vector<std::string> redFlags = {
"keygen", "crack", "activation", "pre-activated",
"loader", "serial", "full version", "premium"
};
for (const auto& flag : redFlags) {
if (desc.find(flag) != std::string::npos) {
score += 15;
flags.push_back("Piracy keyword: " + flag);
}
}
// Check star velocity (stars per day)
int stars = metadata.value("stars", 0);
// Artificial growth pattern
if (stars > 50 && metadata.value("forks", 0) == 0) {
score += 30;
flags.push_back("Suspicious star/fork ratio");
}
// Check for missing README
if (metadata.value("readme_length", 0) < 100) {
score += 20;
flags.push_back("No meaningful README");
}
// Mismatched language (claims C++ for malware dropper)
if (metadata.value("language", "") == "C++") {
score += 10;
flags.push_back("Suspicious language claim");
}
}
std::string getRiskLevel() {
if (score >= 60) return "CRITICAL - Likely malware";
if (score >= 40) return "HIGH - Piracy scam";
if (score >= 20) return "MEDIUM - Suspicious";
return "LOW";
}
};
Defensive Code Examples
Safe Software Verification
#include <openssl/sha.h>
#include <curl/curl.h>
#include <sstream>
#include <iomanip>
class SoftwareVerifier {
public:
// Verify against official vendor checksums
static bool verifyOfficialChecksum(
const std::string& filePath,
const std::string& officialSHA256
) {
unsigned char hash[SHA256_DIGEST_LENGTH];
FILE* file = fopen(filePath.c_str(), "rb");
if (!file) return false;
SHA256_CTX sha256;
SHA256_Init(&sha256);
const int bufSize = 32768;
char* buffer = new char[bufSize];
int bytesRead = 0;
while ((bytesRead = fread(buffer, 1, bufSize, file))) {
SHA256_Update(&sha256, buffer, bytesRead);
}
SHA256_Final(hash, &sha256);
fclose(file);
delete[] buffer;
std::stringstream ss;
for(int i = 0; i < SHA256_DIGEST_LENGTH; i++) {
ss << std::hex << std::setw(2) << std::setfill('0')
<< (int)hash[i];
}
return ss.str() == officialSHA256;
}
// Check if download source is official
static bool isOfficialSource(const std::string& url) {
std::vector<std::string> officialDomains = {
"avast.com",
"avast-update.com" // Official update domain
};
for (const auto& domain : officialDomains) {
if (url.find(domain) != std::string::npos) {
return true;
}
}
return false;
}
};
Runtime Behavior Monitoring
#include <windows.h>
#include <psapi.h>
class BehaviorMonitor {
public:
static bool detectMaliciousBehavior(DWORD processId) {
HANDLE hProcess = OpenProcess(
PROCESS_QUERY_INFORMATION | PROCESS_VM_READ,
FALSE,
processId
);
if (!hProcess) return false;
// Check for suspicious network connections
if (hasUnauthorizedNetworkActivity(processId)) {
CloseHandle(hProcess);
return true;
}
// Check for file system modifications
if (modifiesSystemFiles(processId)) {
CloseHandle(hProcess);
return true;
}
// Check for registry tampering
if (tampersWithRegistry(processId)) {
CloseHandle(hProcess);
return true;
}
CloseHandle(hProcess);
return false;
}
private:
static bool hasUnauthorizedNetworkActivity(DWORD pid) {
// Monitor for connections to known C2 servers
// Implementation would check netstat/connection tables
return false; // Placeholder
}
static bool modifiesSystemFiles(DWORD pid) {
// Monitor file system changes in protected areas
return false; // Placeholder
}
static bool tampersWithRegistry(DWORD pid) {
// Monitor registry modifications
return false; // Placeholder
}
};
Legitimate Alternatives
Download Avast from Official Sources Only
// Configuration for legitimate downloads
const std::string OFFICIAL_AVAST_URL = "https://www.avast.com/download";
const std::string OFFICIAL_DOWNLOAD_DOMAIN = "avast.com";
// Environment variable for license (never hardcode)
// export AVAST_LICENSE_KEY=your-legitimate-license-key
std::string getLicenseKey() {
const char* key = std::getenv("AVAST_LICENSE_KEY");
if (key == nullptr) {
std::cerr << "No license key found. "
<< "Purchase from https://www.avast.com"
<< std::endl;
return "";
}
return std::string(key);
}
Red Flag Checklist
When evaluating security software repositories:
- ✅ Official Source: Only download from vendor websites
- ✅ Valid License: Purchase legitimate licenses
- ✅ Digital Signature: Verify code signing certificates
- ✅ Checksum Verification: Match SHA256 hashes
- ❌ Never Trust: "Cracked", "Keygen", "Pre-activated" versions
- ❌ Avoid: Third-party download sites
- ❌ Report: Repositories distributing pirated software
Reporting Malicious Repositories
# Report to GitHub
# Use GitHub's report abuse feature at:
# https://github.com/contact/report-content
# Report to security vendors
# Avast Threat Labs: threatlabs@avast.com
Conclusion
This repository is extremely likely to be malicious. Never download security software from unofficial sources, especially those promising "cracked" or "pre-activated" versions. Such repositories typically distribute:
- Ransomware
- Credential stealers
- Cryptominers
- Remote access trojans
- Spyware
Always obtain security software directly from the vendor's official website and use legitimate license keys.
FAQ
What does the avast-premium-security-detection skill do?
Identify and analyze suspicious software distribution repositories claiming to offer cracked or pirated security software
How do I install avast-premium-security-detection?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/reason-machines/security-skills --skill avast-premium-security-detection in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/avast-premium-security-detection/ (personal) or .claude/skills/avast-premium-security-detection/ (project).
Which AI agents can use avast-premium-security-detection?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is avast-premium-security-detection safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains avast-premium-security-detection?
It is published by reason-machines in reason-machines/security-skills. It has 1,071 recorded installs.
More from reason-machines/security-skills
anthropic-cybersecurity-skills
reason-machines/security-skills
Use 754 structured cybersecurity skills mapped to MITRE ATT&CK, NIST CSF, ATLAS, D3FEND, and NIST AI RMF for AI-driven security operations
pentest-ai-agents
reason-machines/security-skills
Claude Code subagents for offensive security research, penetration testing planning, recon analysis, exploit research, detection engineering, and security reporting
pentest-agents-bug-bounty-framework
reason-machines/security-skills
Autonomous bug bounty agent framework with 50 agents, hunt loops, exploit chains, MCP servers for platform integration and writeup search
openosint-ai-osint-framework
reason-machines/security-skills
AI-powered OSINT agent with interactive REPL, MCP server, and CLI for email/username/domain/IP/phone investigation using 11 integrated tools
vibe-security-skill
reason-machines/security-skills
Agent skill that audits vibe-coded apps for common security vulnerabilities introduced by AI coding assistants
openclaw-security-hardening
reason-machines/security-skills
Deploy and manage security hardening for high-privilege autonomous AI agents (OpenClaw) using zero-trust architecture and automated defense matrices
Popular security skills
azure-compliance
microsoft/azure-skills
Run Azure compliance and security audits with azqr plus Key Vault expiration checks. Covers best-practice assessment, resource review, policy/compliance validation, and security posture checks. WHEN: compliance scan, security audit, BEFORE running azqr (compliance cli tool), Azure best practices, Key Vault expiration check, expired certificates, expiring secrets, orphaned resources, compliance assessment.
minimal-run-and-audit
lllllllama/rigorpilot-skills
Rigor Run skill for README-first deep learning repo reproduction. Use when the task is specifically to capture or normalize evidence from the selected smoke test or documented inference or evaluation command and write standardized reprooutputs/ files, including patch notes when repository files changed. Do not use for training execution, initial repo intake, generic environment setup, paper lookup, target selection, hidden scientific-meaning changes, or end-to-end orchestration by itself.
seo-audit
coreyhaines31/marketingskills
When the user wants to audit, review, or diagnose SEO issues on their site. Also use when the user mentions "SEO audit," "technical SEO," "why am I not ranking," "SEO issues," "on-page SEO," "meta tags review," "SEO health check," "my traffic dropped," "lost rankings," "not showing up in Google," "site isn't ranking," "Google update hit me," "page speed," "core web vitals," "crawl errors," "indexing issues," "stuck on page 2," "striking distance keywords," "title tag rewrite," "low CTR," "local SEO," "Google Business Profile," or "map pack." Use this even if the user just says something vague like "my SEO is bad" or "help with SEO" — start with an audit. For building pages at scale to target keywords, see programmatic-seo. For adding structured data, see schema. For AI search optimization, see ai-seo.
firebase-security-rules-auditor
firebase/agent-skills
Audits Firebase (Firestore, Cloud Storage) security rules for vulnerabilities, privilege escalation, role bypasses, create vs update inconsistencies, resource exhaustion, type safety, size limits, and hasOnly ownership checks. Use when auditing/reviewing rules, running red-team rule assessments, or scoring against auditor checklists. Don't use for Firebase CLI (login, deploy), Auth, Crashlytics, Remote Config, or database queries.
audit
pbakaus/impeccable
Run technical quality checks across accessibility, performance, theming, responsive design, and anti-patterns. Generates a scored report with P0-P3 severity ratings and actionable plan. Use when the user wants an accessibility check, performance audit, or technical quality review.
competitors
coreyhaines31/marketingskills
When the user wants to create competitor comparison or alternative pages for SEO and buyer-facing use. Also use when the user mentions 'alternative page,' 'vs page,' 'competitor comparison,' 'comparison page,' '[Product] vs [Product],' '[Product] alternative,' 'competitive landing pages,' 'how do we compare to X,' 'competitor teardown,' 'audit our competitor pages,' 'are our comparison pages out of date,' or 'competitive asset audit.' Use this for any content that positions your product against competitors. Covers four formats: singular alternative, plural alternatives, you vs competitor, and competitor vs competitor. For auditing existing claims (not researching competitors from scratch, which is competitor-profiling; not technical SEO on these pages, which is seo-audit), use the asset audit here. For internal battle cards and sales-specific competitor docs, see sales-enablement.