According to a recent report from the cybersecurity team at a major U.S. telecom provider, "[o]ne of the most widely observed objectives of attacking an organization's cloud infrastructure has been for cryptocurrency mining." The report outlines some of the most common methods of attack that hackers have used in recent attempts to hack into cloud infrastructure for the purpose of operating cryptocurrency mining malware, and provides tips for detecting such attacks. Another recently published report provides details on more than 40 bugs in blockchain and cryptocurrency platforms that were detected in the 30-day period from Feb. 13 to March 13, 2019. A third report issued this week describes details of a malware campaign that is "attempting to compromise financial technology and cryptocurrency trading companies in an effort to harvest credentials, passwords and other confidential information." The attackers are reportedly using an updated version of the Cardinal RAT malware, and evidence suggests they have been targeting companies in Israel that write software for forex and cryptocurrency trading.
An "in person" attack was reported late last week in Canada, where Calgary police published a press release seeking the public's assistance to identify four individuals alleged to have stolen $195,000 in cash by exploiting a security flaw in bitcoin ATM machines. According to the press release, the suspects succeeded in initiating bitcoin conversion transactions, withdrawing cash from the bitcoin ATMs, and then cancelling the bitcoin transactions before any bitcoin was actually transferred to the ATM provider.
For more information, please refer to the following links:
- Making it Rain – Cryptocurrency Mining Attacks in the Cloud
- Security researchers found over 40 bugs in blockchain platforms in 30 days
- This updated trojan malware campaign targets fintech and cryptocurrency trading companies
- Calgary Police Service seeking the public's assistance in a cyber crime investigation, Four men wanted, photos released
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