Cryptocurrency is one of the most prominent digital assets which has made big impact on real world. Simultaneously, their existence have also buzz the use of techniques for illegal basis with the most generous example, ransomware attack. In which hacker encrypt the personal data and demand payment from Bitcoin in the return for decryption. Similarly, a new problem has arisen in the world of digital asset, a cryptocurrency based malware called Cryptojacking malware.
The malware uses the computer’s processing power in order to mine cryptocurrencies anonymously without user information. This tends to be the greatest discovery and hack in the field of cryptocurrency.
Last month, media group Salon, an online publication, became the primary distributor for clients to run promotion blockers. The choice is to either turn them off or compensate for it by giving Salon a chance to utilize their computer processing power to mine digital currency in background.
Similarly, this kind of technology might falls in wrong hands which can be later misuse for illegal purposes.
How This Malware Works
On February 11, Scott Helme, a Security researcher, discloses and informed a serious statement about crypto mining script. He stated the hack/modification of cryptocurrency scripts without owner knowledge. The process later hacks the CPU power in order to mine cryptocurrency , in short Cryptojacking!. Therefore its known as cryptojacking malware.
Hey @texthelp you’ve been compromised, you need to address this ASAP. Their site also has the crypto miner running: pic.twitter.com/fl0U9ssZRr
— Scott Helme (@Scott_Helme) February 11, 2018
Another Report came from Emchat that more than 50,000 website have been infected with the cryptocurrency mining malware. It has been reported that website of LA times, Tesla, UK, Australia and many more are also infected with cryptojacking malware which uses the computer power to mine Monero.
SEE ALSO: Slingshot Router Malware – Biggest threat for Organisations
Whats the technology used behind this
Unlike others, Cryptojacking malware the Hackers behind this attack uses Coinhive which is a java script miner and can directly starts mining via web browser. However in this case hackers have taken the script and modified the source code.
Here is the full explanation about Cryptojacking malware in this video:
Beware! Its Just the start it can be More
Concluding the topic, the malware Cryptojacking is mainly a beginning but there can be more ways a hacker can exploit the use of other digital coins method to generate funds. Meanwhile, stay safe as you never know when you can be the internet victim!
