Cryptojacking is a cybercrime in which websites or devices are hacked with clandestine software for mining crypto. Can it be prevented?
How do Hackers ‘Cryptojack’ the Unsuspecting?
Cryptojacking activities, like Ransomware deployment, is one of the fastest-growing cybercrimes. It is difficult to detect and extremely profitable for cybercriminals. Cryptojacking is when a hacker hacks your hardware or website and installs a crypto mining app secretly, using your energy and resources to mine free cryptocurrency.
Hackers often employ botnets, and infect thousands of computers and mine a few pennies of crypto per day, on many, many different machines. If you’re infected it can make your hardware underperform, or make your website’s user experience horrible as visitors experience a slowdown as their processor is commandeered by the mining software.
Hackers use a variety of different crypto mining software to infect host machines and websites. They often target Content Management Systems (CMS) like WordPress and Drupal, because one exploit can be used to infect thousands of different websites. Infected sites and devices often infect other devices, growing the attacker’s botnet and profitability.
The crypto they mine illicitly gets sent to a wallet the attacker controls. Monero is typically the most common crypto mined in cryptojacking attacks, because it can be mined without expensive ASIC miners, on normal consumer-grade electronics, and is almost untraceable by law enforcement because of its nature as a privacy coin.
How can Crypto Users Protect Themselves from Cryptojacking?
Even though cryptojacking attacks are common, there are ways to protect yourself. The best defense is to practice good computer security habits.
Be aware of downloads and suspicious email attachments, always use adblock.
Antivirus apps have classified many cryptojacking malware variants
Stay updated with the latest versions of the software
If you notice your phone using up a lot of battery power very quickly, or if it heats up when not in use, these could be signs of infection.
Watch out for back doors in previously infected machines. Hackers sometimes leave a backdoor that can be used to reinstall malware that has been removed.
If you use a CMS for your website make sure to keep it updated, as WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, and others have been compromised in the past, infecting thousands of sites.
Block crypto mining pool IPs, and the IPs of infected sites.
Be wary of free CMS Themes and free apps that may have malware preinstalled in the code.
Be aware of Phishing attacks, cross-site scripting attacks, and SQL injection attacks that can be used to compromise your website
How do you plan to keep crypto criminals at bay? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Despite being flagged as the greatest cybersecurity threat at the start of last year, crypto malware-related hacks (cryptojacking) were down by 78% in the second half of 2019. Cases of Cryptojacking Down By 78% Cryptojacking, that nasty little malware that infects your device, sucks its CPU and forces it to mine crypto is becoming less of a threat.
Cryptojacking was rampant around the globe last year. By June 2019 in Southeast Asia, more than 20,000 MikroTik routers had been infected. Thanks to Operation Goldfish Alpha, Interpol reduced incidents of illicit crypto mining by 78% in just six months.
Two members of Romanian hacker gang Bayrob Group were sentenced to two decades in prison after their malware mined crypto on 400,000 infected computers.
Up to a quarter of the UK’s small businesses may have been affected by crypto-jacking attacks, according to the British cyber security platform CybSafe. The figures were based on a survey of common cybersecurity threats for UK SMEs (Small-Medium Enterprises).
Last Wednesday, French police shut down a massive botnet that managed to install malware on over 850,000 computers. This network was partially used to distribute ransomware and carry out data theft.
Following reports that the alleged Capital One hacker was using servers to mine crypto, cryptojacking is on the tip of the space's tongue. Unfortunately, there seems to be a bit of confusion as to how prevalent cryptojacking is, with a recently released study from McAfee Labs and information from the cybersecurity firm Bad Packets suggesting malicious miners are both on the rise and experiencing a downward trend.
In the first quarter of 2019, cryptojacking campaigns aimed at victims’ PCs to mine cryptocurrencies rose 29%, according to a recent report by security software provider McAfee. Hackers Target Windows PCs to Mine Monero The antivirus maker founded by crypto fan John McAfee discovered that both Windows and Apple ecosystems are equally vulnerable to cryptojacking campaigns.
Have a website and trying to figure out how to make money? If you are into crypto you have probably heard of the term “cryptojacking. ” While this may seem like a good idea at first, it is probably not smart.
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A recent analysis made by the cybersecurity group Guardicore Labs has discovered that as many as 50,000 servers around the world are currently infected with a malware that is being used for cryptojacking.
Just like in the traditional financial system where fraudsters never cease to exist, crypto thieves are also getting smarter every day. In the latest, they’ve now moved from conducting cryptojacking operations to creating fake apps on Google Play, in a bid to “phish” for bitcoin (BTC), reports SecurityBrief on May 23, 2019.
As bitcoin (BTC) and other digital assets keep growing in value and use case, cyberpunks are also upping their game with each passing day, formulating new ways of enriching themselves with ‘dirty crypto.
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Hackers are always trying to find the most profitable ways to steal money from people online. Because of this, their attacks evolve together with the technology. If hackers used to send emails with simple viruses attached to them before, now they are using a lot more methods, including using other people’s computers to mine crypto. […]
Most of the stories in the media about cryptojacking and hacking are due to a vulnerability in a crypto exchange or simply highly advanced hackers. However, in a new report by Symantec, Microsoft has been the victim of the presence of a surreptitious Monero mining code on multiple applications. As such, Microsoft has since removed […]
Mozilla, the non-profit organization behind the Firefox web browser, is ready to make life unbearable for crypto jackers as it has announced plans to add cryptocurrency mining and fingerprinting blocking functionality to the Firefox browser.
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While the price of bitcoin has nearly hit rock bottom from its $20,000 all-time-high of 2017, the bloodbath has not deterred bad actors from carrying out cryptojacking attacks. According to a Digital Trends report on December 4, 2018, rogue actors have installed crypto mining malware on 415,000 MikroTik routers globally.
The growing popularity of cryptocurrencies has forced cybercriminals to invest resources in the development of more robust mining technologies to replace the typical ransomware Trojans, reports Kaspersky Lab’s cyber threat research arm Securelist, November 28, 2018.
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Earlier this year, Forbes reported that crypto jacking is now the world’s most popular cyberthreat after displacing ransomware from the top spot. Apparently, the threat is now so prevalent that hackers are indiscriminate when it comes to their target.
The recent victim to a cryptojacking attack is U. S. -based non-profit organization Make-A-Wish Foundation’s website. Since March 2018, the hacker has been taking advantage of the Drupal vulnerability to mine Monero cryptocurrency, as per research findings from an independent research lab.
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Reports have surfaced that a Canadian University has shut down its entire network due to a mass cryptojacking attack. Malicious crypto mining software remains a growing threat, affecting personal computers and in some cases, entire businesses across the globe.
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Cryptojacking, an attempt to use a device’s spare computing power to mine digital currencies, is gaining ground ever since crypto assets started getting mainstream acceptance. Researchers from China’s Fudan University and Tsinghua University collaborated with the University of California Riverside to produce the first systematic study of these attacks.
Sophoslabs has published a report in which the company claims to have identified at least 25 Android apps published on the official Google Play store that contain script facilitating the ‘cryptojacking’ of users’ computing resources.
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MonThe post Monero's latest woes - Are holders in trouble after XMR's dip below $140? appeared first on AMBCrypto.
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XMR has shown resilience in the spot market despite recent delisting frThe post Can Telegram CEO's arrest spur interest in Monero again? appeared first on AMBCrypto.