What Are the Examples of Crypto Malware?

Cryptojacking is a type of cybercrime that is conducted through crypto-malware. This involves the unauthorized use of computers, smartphones, or servers through some kind of malware to mine for cryptocurrency. Crypto malware is specially designed to conduct Cryptojacking, which facilitates the cybercriminals with cryptocurrency. But what are the examples of crypto-malware? Keep reading this article to know more about crypto-malware.

What Are the Examples of Crypto Malware – How Is It?

Between July and August 2018, crypto-malware infected over 200,000 MikroTik routers in Brazil. Which injected CoinHive codes on the device with significant web traffic. In the same year, the same codes were found to be running through Google’s DoubleClick platform on YouTube Ads. European Water Utility Control System’s operational technology network was targeted by the Cyptojackers, which impacted the operator’s ability to manage the utility plant, and this was the first known instance of a Cryptojacking attack against any industrial control system in 2018. In the same year, crypto-malware was found concealed within the Homicide report page of the LA Times. Whoever visited the page, their device was infected through a type of crypto-malware.  Later in 2019, eight separate applications or programs were ejected from the Microsoft store because of the allegation of Cryptojacking.

How Are Crypto Malware Attacks Spread?

Crypto malware or Cryptojacking scripts can spread in many ways. Users are enticed to click on some kind of eye-catching malicious link or attachment, and the cryptocurrency mining process begins. This can spread through browser extensions, plug-ins, and add-ons. Crypto malware can use API keys to spread through the devices. As you know, the API keys can be used to access cloud services.

How Can I Detect Crypto Malware?

Crypto mining malware or Cryptojacking lefts almost no sign for detection except slower device performance or lags in execution. So, it is a hard nut to crack to identify whether a device is a victim of Cryptojacking or not. Still, there are some methods to know whether your device or website is a victim of Cryptojacking. Here are some of them;

1. Slower Performance or Lags in Execution

The slower performance of the device and lags in the execution process is the only sign of the presence of crypto mining code on your browser. Without it, there doesn’t have any sign of Cryptojacking on your device. A device with the crypto miner becomes significantly slow. Because Cryptojacking extensively uses your device resource to mine crypto.

2. Network Monitoring Solution

A network monitoring solution can monitor all the incoming and outgoing network signals of a device. As crypto-mining requires an internet connection, it is possible to detect it by analyzing the data traffic. To do so, a network monitoring solution is required.

3. Monitoring the Resource and Performance Usage

It is the best way to detect the presence of crypto mining malware on your device. By monitoring the resource and performance usage, you can check the usage of device resources and performance. If your browser uses significant device resources without any authorized task, it is possible that your device is a victim of Cryptojacking.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is Crypto Malware a Type of Ransomware?

Crypto malware is not a type of ransomware. As you know, crypto-malware or Cryptojacking scripts are used to mine cryptocurrency illegally. Whilst, the ransomware attack is a practice of encrypting all the data of a device and holding the data for ransom.

Are Crypto Malware and Cryptojacking Scripts the Same?

Yes, crypto-malware and Cryptojacking scripts are the same things that are used to conduct Cryptojacking attacks. Both of them are distributed to the devices for mining cryptocurrency illegally.

Why Are Crypto Malware Attacks Successful?

It is hard to detect whether a device is a victim of a crypto-malware attack or not, and there doesn’t have any specific removal process to remove the malicious scripts from a device. For these reasons, crypto-malware attacks are successful most of the time.

Aftermath

At this point, you have known enough about the examples of Cryptojacking scripts that can be used by the cybercriminals to mine cryptocurrency. Secure browsing is the best practice to avoid Cryptojacking scripts on your device. That’s all for today, have a great day.