Cryptocurrency theft is being increasingly faced by many in the cryptocurrency community. However, when talking of bitcoin hackers, many turn to think about of hack on cryptocurrency exchanges. However, there are many skilled criminals who focus on individuals rather than large scale such as exchanges.
According to a new research by Kaspersky Labs, Malware keeps evolving and it’s at its now prime targeting cryptocurrency users and services.
According to the research, this quarter has seen a spike in Bitcoin sextortion emails. With this form of theft, Bitcoin hackers and thieves compromise the login details of the victim and record funny videos of themselves including pornographic acts. They then threaten the victim to pay them in Bitcoins else they will send the video to the email contacts of the victim. They some sometimes get these passwords from underground markets and boldly send the password to their victim to notify them that they have been compromised.
Another form is via Malware designed for Mac operating systems. With this form of crypto theft, hackers target employees of large firms and cryptocurrency exchanges by sending them infected applications which once downloaded, compromises them.
“It would seem that in the chase after advanced users, software developers from supply chains and some high-profile targets, threat actors are forced to develop Mac OS malware tools,”
Also, they noted that organizations such Trojan Rakhni are also increasingly on the rise. They are focused on encrypting devices and holding data for ransom. With the latest version of this malware, they start by checking if their victim’s computer has bitcoin or cryptocurrency folders on their computer. If this is the case, they will encrypt the device and demand for ransom. They also, attack computers with no Bitcoin activity and by implanting malware which steals computing power which they then distribute across the network.
Lastly, Kaspersky Labs noticed hackers have in the recent past been distributing botnets malware via spams or via DDoS attacks on the computer of victims. These Botnets are then used to mine cryptocurrencies. One of the most prominent viruses used in this practice is known as ‘droppers’.
What ways do you think crypto holders can keep their coins safe from Bitcoin hackers?
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