BlackBerry Discovers Cryptocurrency-Stealing Malware

During the thwarting of over 1.5 million cyberattacks between March and May, the cybersecurity division of the formerly dominant smartphone manufacturer BlackBerry discovered malware families that actively attempted to hijack computers to mine or steal cryptocurrencies.

According to the BlackBerry report, the three industries most affected by cyberattacks are finance, healthcare, and government.

RedLine is one of the enduring financial hazards that harvests cryptocurrency and banking information.

Clop ransomware, a member of the CryptoMix ransomware family, was a prevalent menace aimed at financial institutions.

This malware was responsible for the data exposure at Hatch Bank, a fintech banking platform.

According to Blackberry, the most prevalent malware families are SmokeLoader, RaccoonStealer (also known as RecordBreaker), and Vidar.

SmokeLoader is one of the oldest fraudulent financial tools, dating back to 2011, that threat actors based in Russia have primarily used to install cryptocurrency miners and other malware.

RaccoonStealer has reportedly been used to acquire cryptocurrency wallet information and is being sold on the dark web. Vidar is also utilized extensively to harvest cryptocurrency purses.

Linux was the most targeted operating system, and BlackBerry advised businesses to apply security patches routinely.

Targeting Linux, hackers commandeer and utilize computer resources for cryptocurrency mining.

Atomic macOS is a new strain of information thief that primarily targets macOS users to steal credentials from keychains, browsers, and crypto wallets, among others.

OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT and Dall-e, has recently announced a $1 million cybersecurity grant program to enhance and evaluate the impact of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven cybersecurity technologies.

In its official announcement, OpenAI stated, “Our goal is to advance AI-driven cybersecurity capabilities for defenders through grants and additional support.”