We’ve talked a lot lately about cryptocurrencies, as well as various scams and other crypto-targeting malicious activity. Our researchers recently checked out the situation with malicious miners — programs that secretly generate cryptocurrency for their owners using the resources of others folks’ computers. Although malicious miners don’t directly steal data or money, they can … [Read more...] about Miners in 2022: figures, trends, how to protect yourself
miners
Multiple Campaigns Exploit VMware Vulnerability to Deploy Crypto Miners and Ransomware
A now-patched vulnerability in VMware Workspace ONE Access has been observed being exploited to deliver both cryptocurrency miners and ransomware on affected machines. "The attacker intends to utilize a victim's resources as much as possible, not only to install RAR1Ransom for extortion, but also to spread GuardMiner to collect cryptocurrency," Fortinet FortiGuard Labs … [Read more...] about Multiple Campaigns Exploit VMware Vulnerability to Deploy Crypto Miners and Ransomware
Crypto Miners Using Tox P2P Messenger as Command and Control Server
Threat actors have begun to use the Tox peer-to-peer instant messaging service as a command-and-control method, marking a shift from its earlier role as a contact method for ransomware negotiations. The findings from Uptycs, which analyzed an Executable and Linkable Format (ELF) artifact ("72client") that functions as a bot and can run scripts on the compromised host using the … [Read more...] about Crypto Miners Using Tox P2P Messenger as Command and Control Server
Cloud-based Cryptocurrency Miners Targeting GitHub Actions and Azure VMs
GitHub Actions and Azure virtual machines (VMs) are being leveraged for cloud-based cryptocurrency mining, indicating sustained attempts on the part of malicious actors to target cloud resources for illicit purposes. "Attackers can abuse the runners or servers provided by GitHub to run an organization's pipelines and automation by maliciously downloading and installing their … [Read more...] about Cloud-based Cryptocurrency Miners Targeting GitHub Actions and Azure VMs
New Malware Loader ‘Verblecon’ Infects Hacked PCs with Cryptocurrency Miners
An unidentified threat actor has been observed employing a "complex and powerful" malware loader with the ultimate objective of deploying cryptocurrency miners on compromised systems and potentially facilitating the theft of Discord tokens. "The evidence found on victim networks appears to indicate that the goal of the attacker was to install cryptocurrency mining software on … [Read more...] about New Malware Loader ‘Verblecon’ Infects Hacked PCs with Cryptocurrency Miners
Nation-State Hackers Caught Hiding Espionage Activities Behind Crypto Miners
A nation-state actor known for its cyber espionage campaigns since 2012 is now using coin miner techniques to stay under the radar and establish persistence on victim systems, according to new research. Attributing the shift to a threat actor tracked as Bismuth, Microsoft's Microsoft 365 Defender Threat Intelligence Team said the group deployed Monero coin miners in attacks … [Read more...] about Nation-State Hackers Caught Hiding Espionage Activities Behind Crypto Miners
Lemon Duck brings cryptocurrency miners back into the spotlight
Cisco Blogs / Security / Threat Research / Lemon Duck brings cryptocurrency miners back into the spotlight Attackers are constantly reinventing ways of monetizing their tools. Cisco Talos recently discovered a complex campaign employing a multi-modular botnet with multiple ways to spread. This threat, known as “Lemon Duck,” has a cryptocurrency mining payload that … [Read more...] about Lemon Duck brings cryptocurrency miners back into the spotlight
Cryptocurrency miners aren’t dead yet: Documenting the voracious but simple “Panda”
Threat Research By Christopher Evans and David Liebenberg. A new threat actor named “Panda” has generated thousands of dollars worth of the Monero cryptocurrency through the use of remote access tools (RATs) and illicit cryptocurrency-mining malware. This is far from the most sophisticated actor we’ve ever seen, but it still has been one of … [Read more...] about Cryptocurrency miners aren’t dead yet: Documenting the voracious but simple “Panda”