Kaspersky Lab is warning of malicious cryptocurrency mining powered by pirated software and content. Learn more about this new online threat!
Kaspersky Lab Warns Of Malicious Cryptocurrency Mining!
Kaspersky Lab has warned that the global outbreak in malicious cryptocurrency mining in 2018 has increased by more than 83%! 5 million users were attacked online in the first three quarters of 2018 compared to 2.7 million users in 2017.
The major driver behind the malicious cryptocurrency mining was the use of unlicensed software and content.
Malicious Cryptocurrency Mining
Malicious cryptocurrency mining has prevailed over the main threat of ransomware in recent years. The number of attacks had increased steadily during the first half of 2018. It peaked in March with about 1.2 million users attacked.
Kaspersky Lab experts have investigated the regulatory landscape and electricity prices in the top 10 countries targeted by crypto miners and main infection vectors for the popular malware families.
The investigation of malware families revealed that they mainly infected devices by duping users into installing pirated software and unlicensed content.
“Our analysis of the economic background of malicious crypto mining and the reasons for its widespread presence in certain regions revealed a clear correlation: the easier it is to distribute unlicensed software, the more incidents of malicious crypto miner activity were detected. In short, an activity not generally perceived as dangerous: the downloading and installation of dubious software, underpins what is arguably the biggest cyberthreat story of the year – malicious crypto mining,” notes Evgeny Lopatin, security expert at Kaspersky Lab.
Other Key Findings From The Report
- The total number of users who encountered miners rose by more than 83% from 2,726,491 in 2017 to 5,001,414 in 2018
- The share of miners detected increased from 5% in 2017 to 8% in 2018
- The share of miners detected from the overall risk tool detections has risen from 9% in 2017 to 17% in 2018
- The total number of users who encountered mobile miners also grew by over 5 times from 1,986 in 2017 to 10,242 in 2018.
Steps To Reduce Risk Of Infection
- Always update software on all your devices to prevent miners from exploiting vulnerabilities.
- Use tools that can automatically detect vulnerabilities and download and install patches.
- For personal devices, use a reliable consumer security solution and remember to keep key features such as System Watcher switched on.
- Don’t overlook less obvious targets such as queue management systems, POS terminals and even vending machines.
- Use application control to track malicious activity in legitimate applications.
- Specialized devices should be in Default Deny mode.
- Use dedicated security solution such as Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business
- To protect the corporate environment, educate your employees and IT teams to keep sensitive data separate and to restrict access.
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