Developer Nearly Compromised by Malicious Job Interview Coding Test

David Dodda recounts a near-security breach during a seemingly legitimate job interview process. He received a LinkedIn message from someone claiming to be the Chief Blockchain Officer of a real company called Symfa, offering a part-time coding role. The message appeared professional and the company’s LinkedIn presence looked authentic. He was sent a ‘test project’ to evaluate his coding skills, which appeared legitimate with clean documentation and a professional setup. In a rush, he began modifying the code without running it in a sandbox. Before executing, he used an AI tool to scan for suspicious code and discovered obfuscated malware embedded in a server-side controller. The malicious script was designed to execute with full server privileges, capable of stealing crypto wallets, files, and sensitive information. The malware payload was hosted remotely and disappeared within 24 hours, indicating a sophisticated operation. Dodda emphasizes the psychological tactics employed by the scammers, including urgency, authority, familiarity, and social proof, making the attack highly credible. He warns developers to always sandbox unknown code, verify all sources, and use AI or security tools to detect potential threats. This incident highlights a growing scam vector targeting developers through professional-looking interviews and code challenges.