McAfee Threats Report Says Crytojacking Attacks Have Increased Almost 30%

Every industry or sector seems to be in an unending battle with criminals who are consistently looking to breach even the most secure networks. Recently, a few municipalities in the United States fell victim to ransomware breaches where some had to pay hefty ransoms of several thousand dollars in Bitcoin. Now, according to an August 2019 Threats Report from McAfee Labs, ransomware is not the only problem as crypto-jacking is also on the increase.

The study has specified that cryptojacking endeavours in the first quarter of 2019 have surged as much as 29 percent when compared to last year’s fourth quarter. The report also mentions that in the same period, ransomware attack campaigns also increased by 118%.

For cryptojacking, the threat report mentions a campaign known as PsMiner, which seeks to illegally mine Monero.  The attacks also cut across several operating systems as Apple has also had its fair share. For the MacOS, CookieMiner seems to be the most prominent and specifically automates the process of stealing data and other unscrupulous activity. The report has also highlighted several targeted platforms including MyEtherWallet, Poloniex, Bitstamp, Bittrex, Coinbase, and Binance.

The report also mentions an increased target at IoT compatible hardware. According to McAfee:

“Criminals continue to attack Internet of Things (IoT) devices with default username/password combinations that are used in popular IP cameras, DVRs and routers. McAfee researchers also uncovered two new vulnerabilities within connected devices that allow hackers access to the personal lives of consumers via vulnerabilities in smart locks and Wemo-equipped coffee makers.”