Beware of cryptojacking Learn how to prevent it

So, keep an eye firmly on the cyber security headlines and your wits about you; because whatever happens online during the rest of 2022, it’s certainly not going to be boring. The sites involved, and anyone else hosting third party scripts have been advised by security experts to implement SRI Integrity Attributes or Content Security Policy to reject any modified code. Meanwhile, users can install browser plugins that stop their CPU being harvested for coins. Until this becomes widespread practice and knowledge though, we can expect these attacks to become even more common over 2018. Whether you want to protect your business from cryptojacking or ransomware attacks, our security consultants are here to help.

• More recent cryptojacking threats include the Prometei cryptocurrency botnet which exploits Microsoft Exchange vulnerability.
• So let’s explore the third most-frequent shell command used by attackers.
• The second way is to check your website code for any cryptomining scripts such as Coinhive.
• Crowdsourced mining has even been adopted by some legitimate websites and is being considered by some large publishers as an alternative source of income from adblocking savvy readers.
• This method is called cryptojacking, and we will cover this exploit next.

If you’re not familiar with the concept of crypto-mining, let’s take a quick detour. In order to create more of a given cryptocurrency, crypto-investors task their computers with solving complex cryptographic equations, which in turn spit out more of the cryptocurrency of choice. Ransomware topped the charts in SonicWall’s previous report by some degree, with this year’s report adding that almost 20 ransomware attacks took place every second in 2021. Though ransomware started to spike during the pandemic, 2020’s highest month for ransomware barely exceeded 2021’s lowest point. So I’m curious to analyse my SSH honeypot logs to understand A) if threat actors are still motivated by cryptocurrency, and B) what techniques are used by threat actors. AppCheck performs comprehensive checks for a massive range of web application vulnerabilities – including client-side malicious JavaScript such as cryptominers – from first principle, to detect vulnerabilities in in-house application code.

Centrally Managed Security Software

It is very difficult for the victim to realize if their device has been cryptojacked or not. The early sign user gets only when their processors are getting slow and taking longer time to execute any work. The code runs intricate mathematical problem on the victim’s device and sends the report directly to the server that is controlled by the hackers. Cryptojacking is a cyber attack, whose purpose is not to steal any important data from your device, rather to mine cryptocurrency when you are ignorant of it, by operating the processor. Hackers, instead of using any particular cryptomining computer, use cryptojacking to enter other people’s device and starts cryptomining operations without bearing much cost.

The hack gained widespread attention due to the number of sites affected, including a number of UK government websites such as the Student Loan Company and even the ICO, who are responsible for UK data breaches. The decision by the Chinese government earlier this year to crack down on cryptocurrenies, as this is prompting tougher vigilance for all cryptomining activity in China. Over the past month or so, the Secarma team have been very busy https://www.tokenexus.com/ with cybersecurity events. Secarma and LedgerEdge have developed an ongoing consultancy-based cybersecurity partnership, workin… Phishing is the primary delivery method of this type of software and employees need to be trained regularly on what to look for and what the consequences could be of clicking on an infected link. You may also need to remind them of password security policies and the importance of creating strong passwords.

Command ‘free’

A well-known threat of this type was Coinhive, the Monero mining service, which was shut down in 2019. Also known as cryptojacking, these attacks have become an increasingly popular way for cybercriminals to make money. This covers cybersecurity hygiene practises like not using default passwords and not sharing a single account with several users. We’ll help you build a robust network IT strategy that protects your business from cyber threats. Along with ransomware, cryptojacking is a common method for cybercriminals to turn their access to an organization’s systems into profit. At iStorage, we are already working with cryptocurrency exchange services and decentralised app hosts to provide secure solutions to any crypto specific threats facing their organisation. If you are concerned about cryptocurrency impacting your security, ask an expert today to understand how we can assist you.

Due to the unique paradigm on which it is based, many of the methods used to try and exploit the system for financial gain are peculiar to cryptocurrency, rather than threats that also face traditional financial systems. One such activity that has garnered significant attention is that of “cryptojacking”, a technique for generating a profit via cryptocurrency that is at least ethically questionable, and very often criminal, in nature. Use a reliable security solution to block unwanted crypto mining and cryptojacking activity. If you notice that accessing a specific website dramatically increases the use of your CPU, close the browser.

Malicious PDFs, Office files remain dangerous to businesses

However, if you scale that loss of performance and productivity across an entire organization, that can become a real problem for a business. In Malwarebytes 2021 State of Malware Report, they noted that BitCoinMiner was the top business threat for Windows computers. Cryptocurrencies that focus on privacy and anonymity, such as Monero , are more popular with cybercriminals than mainstream how to prevent cryptojacking coins, such as Bitcoin, as these transactions can’t be traced. Our mission is to provide UK businesses with the best and most comprehensive network security solutions without any hidden agendas, at competitive prices. Whether you’re after training, penetration testing, managed security services, or any of the solutions we’ve discussed above – book a consultation with the team today.

IPSs inspect incoming traffic for signs of potential intrusion, and monitor internal network traffic patterns for any kind of suspicious cross-network traffic. If you have a wireless network, you’ll also need a Wireless IPS to defend against the ways criminals can compromise wireless networks from within range.

Cloudbreak Discovery: a diversified approach to developing new mining opportunities

As part of the regular cybersecurity training, educate your staff to let IT know when their computers are overheating or running slowly. Also, train all staff members on the perils of malware and phishing. Your business should use centrally managed security software that can check that all of your devices are running the latest security patches. Also, using central security alerting is vital in the early identification of cyber threats. Hackers have found they can make easy money by stealing the computing resources from victims computers and using that power for the mining. This method is called cryptojacking, and we will cover this exploit next.

• A website with minimal media content but is taking up a lot of CPU power could have cryptomining scripts running on it.
• Formerly, most malicious crypto mining code tried to download and run an executable on the targeted device.
• If, the system gets infected continuous monitoring the performance of the system is beneficial.
• However, things have developed, new coins such as Monero have been introduced and cryptomining can now be achieved via software.
• Combine ESET’s powerful scanning engine with ESET Cloud Administrator and gain detailed network visibility.
• When browsing online, disable JavaScript to prevent cryptojacking code from infecting your machine.

Despite illicit cryptomining posing a threat with seemingly lower severity, organizations should not underestimate the risk it represents. Mining usually hijacks a large portion of hardware’s processing power reducing performance and productivity. The power-intensive process causes additional stress to the hardware components and can damage targeted devices, shortening their lifespans. Browser-based – malicious JavaScript embedded into a web page or section of a web page, designed to mine cryptocurrency via the browsers of the site’s visitors. This method is dubbed cryptojacking and has become increasingly popular with cybercriminals since mid-2017. ESET detects the majority of cryptojacking scripts as potentially unwanted applications . Illicit cryptocurrency mining is the act of hijacking a targeted device and misusing it to mine cryptocurrency.

An Overview of Cryptomining

Endpoint protection tools like antivirus are essential – keeping them updated regularly, even more so. It’s also worth considering the fact that many people now deem sites that display the padlock icon as “safe”. In reality, anyone can purchase a security certificate for their website for around £30 – it’s not an objective stamp of all-round security approval, it’s just the tech needed to use HTTPS on a site. Cybercriminals are always ducking and diving to evade new security defences and to maximise their profits.

Author: Felipe Erazo