Ransomware Currently Replaced with Crypto-Currency Mining Malware as Cyber-Criminal’s Preferred Tool

Skybox Security the cyber-security management leader worldwide has published the six-monthly update of its Vulnerability and Threat Trends Report that is an assessment of active security flaws, threats, and exploits into existence. A Skybox Research Lab analysts' team compiled the report whose objective is assisting organizations make their security plans in tune with present threat scenario.

An exploration of the trends seen during January-June 2018 appears in the 6-monthly report mentioned. A very significant discovery is about ransomware being replaced with malicious software that mines crypto-currency as cyber-criminals' preferred means for attack. During the second half of 2017, 32% of assaults were attributed to ransomware, whereas 7% of assaults were attributed to crypto-miners. But by H1-2018, the figures reversed with crypto-miners being responsible for 32% of assaults and ransom software being responsible for 8% of assaults. Businessworld.in posted this, July 19, 2018.

A form of attack called Crypto-jacking uses code concealed inside devices else websites for capturing computing resources of victimized users for mining crypto-currencies. The computing resources are the bandwidth and central processing unit of the target PCs. The Skybox update shows one notable movement in the choice of tools by cyber-attackers when they carry out their unlawful trades.

Within the report that Computing first put forward, the company stated that crypto-currency miners were possibly a novel batch of criminals; however, they were superseding others. The particular malware tool having high-profit scope along with fewer chances of getting detected as well as blocked enables cyber-criminals to safely make money with it.

The strategy of unauthorized or malicious mining of crypto-currencies in reality eschews a number of the disadvantages that ransomware has. There is no need for notifying the attack victim so as for paying the ransom; as a result, it can go on an indefinite period of time within its treacherous way. Mining crypto-currencies is possible for overly lengthy time-periods instead of the cyber crook getting one time ransom payment of a large amount. The victim has no opportunity for deciding if he wants to pay up in a crypto-mining attack for the attack alone regulates the money generation process as well as the amount.

» SPAMfighter News - 7/30/2018