- BlackBerry’s cybersecurity division uncovers malware families aimed at hijacking computers for cryptocurrency mining or theft amidst halting over 1.5 million cyberattacks between March and May.
- Finance, healthcare, and government sectors emerge as prime targets for cyberattacks; BlackBerry advises organizations, particularly Linux users, to apply security patches frequently.
Between March and May, in their efforts to halt more than 1.5 million cyberattacks, the cybersecurity team of erstwhile smartphone titan BlackBerry detected several malware families that aggressively seek to seize control of computers for cryptocurrency mining or theft.
According to BlackBerry’s report, the finance, healthcare, and government sectors are the most susceptible to cyberattacks. One of the most persistent financial threats is a commodity malware named RedLine, which is primarily designed to harvest cryptocurrency and banking information.
Clop ransomware, a variant of the CryptoMix ransomware family, frequently targets banking and financial institutions. This pernicious malware was behind the significant data breach at the fintech banking platform, Hatch Bank.
BlackBerry’s compilation of the most widespread malware families lists SmokeLoader, RaccoonStealer (also known as RecordBreaker), and Vidar at the top. SmokeLoader, one of the oldest rogue financial tools dating back to 2011, has been primarily utilized by Russian-based threat actors to load crypto miners, among other malicious software.
RaccoonStealer is notorious for stealing cryptocurrency wallet data and is reportedly being sold across the dark web. Vidar, another prevalent malware, is extensively used for harvesting cryptocurrency wallets.
Linux, among all operating systems, was the most significant target, prompting BlackBerry to advise organizations to consistently apply security patches. Hackers aim at Linux to seize and utilize computer resources for mining cryptocurrencies. A newly discovered strain of infostealer, named Atomic macOS, targets macOS users, mainly harvesting credentials from keychains, browsers, and crypto-wallets.
In related news, OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT and Dall-e, recently unveiled a $1 million cybersecurity grant program intended to enhance and assess the impact of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven cybersecurity technologies.
OpenAI, in its official announcement, stated: “Our aim is to foster the advancement of AI-driven cybersecurity capabilities for defenders through grants and additional assistance.”
