Popular blogging platform Ghost and tech firms LineageOS and Digicert were the latest victims of cryptomining attacks, a kind of malware that harnessed their computing powers for mining Cryptocurrencies
Cryptocurrencies
By using cryptography, virtual currencies, known as cryptocurrencies, are nearly counterfeit-proof digital currencies that are built on blockchain technology. Comprised of decentralized networks, blockchain technology is not overseen by a central authority.Therefore, cryptocurrencies function in a decentralized nature which theoretically makes them immune to government interference. The term, cryptocurrency derives from the origin of the encryption techniques that are employed to secure the networks which are used to authenticate blockchain technology. Cryptocurrencies can be thought of as systems that accept online payments which are denoted as “tokens.” Tokens are represented as internal ledger entries in blockchain technology while the term crypto is used to depict cryptographic methods and encryption algorithms such as public-private key pairs, various hashing functions, and an elliptical curve. Every cryptocurrency transaction that occurs is logged in a web-based ledger with blockchain technology.These then must be approved by a disparate network of individual nodes (computers that maintain a copy of the ledger). For every new block generated, the block must first be authenticated and confirmed ‘approved’ by each node, which makes forging the transactional history of cryptocurrencies nearly impossible. The World’s First CryptoBitcoin became the first blockchain-based cryptocurrency and to this day is still the most demanded cryptocurrency and the most valued. Bitcoin still contributes the majority of the overall cryptocurrency market volume, though several other cryptos have grown in popularity in recent years.Indeed, out of the wake of Bitcoin, iterations of Bitcoin became prevalent which resulted in a multitude of newly created or cloned cryptocurrencies. Contending cryptocurrencies that emerged after Bitcoin’s success is referred to as ‘altcoins’ and they refer to cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Peercoin, Namecoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Stellar, and Dash. Cryptocurrencies promise a wide range of technological innovations that have yet to be structured into being. Simplified payments between two parties without the need for a middle man is one aspect while leveraging blockchain technology to minimize transaction and processing fees for banks is another. Of course, cryptocurrencies have their disadvantages too. This includes issues of tax evasion, money laundering, and other illicit online activities where anonymity is a dire ingredient in solicitous and fraudulent activities.
By using cryptography, virtual currencies, known as cryptocurrencies, are nearly counterfeit-proof digital currencies that are built on blockchain technology. Comprised of decentralized networks, blockchain technology is not overseen by a central authority.Therefore, cryptocurrencies function in a decentralized nature which theoretically makes them immune to government interference. The term, cryptocurrency derives from the origin of the encryption techniques that are employed to secure the networks which are used to authenticate blockchain technology. Cryptocurrencies can be thought of as systems that accept online payments which are denoted as “tokens.” Tokens are represented as internal ledger entries in blockchain technology while the term crypto is used to depict cryptographic methods and encryption algorithms such as public-private key pairs, various hashing functions, and an elliptical curve. Every cryptocurrency transaction that occurs is logged in a web-based ledger with blockchain technology.These then must be approved by a disparate network of individual nodes (computers that maintain a copy of the ledger). For every new block generated, the block must first be authenticated and confirmed ‘approved’ by each node, which makes forging the transactional history of cryptocurrencies nearly impossible. The World’s First CryptoBitcoin became the first blockchain-based cryptocurrency and to this day is still the most demanded cryptocurrency and the most valued. Bitcoin still contributes the majority of the overall cryptocurrency market volume, though several other cryptos have grown in popularity in recent years.Indeed, out of the wake of Bitcoin, iterations of Bitcoin became prevalent which resulted in a multitude of newly created or cloned cryptocurrencies. Contending cryptocurrencies that emerged after Bitcoin’s success is referred to as ‘altcoins’ and they refer to cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Peercoin, Namecoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Stellar, and Dash. Cryptocurrencies promise a wide range of technological innovations that have yet to be structured into being. Simplified payments between two parties without the need for a middle man is one aspect while leveraging blockchain technology to minimize transaction and processing fees for banks is another. Of course, cryptocurrencies have their disadvantages too. This includes issues of tax evasion, money laundering, and other illicit online activities where anonymity is a dire ingredient in solicitous and fraudulent activities.
Read this Term.
Ghost confirmed it had been hacked as attackers abused the vulnerabilities in popular infrastructure tool Salt and gained access to the Ghost (Pro) sites and Ghost.org billing services.
The open-source platform, which has more than 2 million installs and 750,000 registered users, said its developers quickly detected flaws in the Salt configuration management framework. The mining attempt spiked CPUs and quickly overloaded most of their systems, which alerted us to the issue immediately.
Ghost, which counts big names customers such as Mozilla, NASA, and DuckDuckGo, said customer information and user credentials weren’t infiltrated during the incident.
“All traces of the crypto-mining virus were successfully eliminated yesterday, all systems remain stable, and we have not discovered any further concerns or issues on our network. The team is now working hard on remediation to clean and rebuild our entire network,” the company said on its status page.
The developer of Salt, Saltstack, has introduced two updates to address the vulnerabilities in its tool, which is widely used by data centers and in cloud-based environments for server configuration and monitoring.
Ghost's cloud isn’t the first to be hacked by cryptocurrency miners. Several businesses and government agencies have fallen victim to Cryptojacking
Cryptojacking
Cryptojacking is defined as the unauthorized use of an individual’s computer to mine cryptocurrency. Hackers accomplish this feat by through several means.This includes obtaining access via malicious links in an email that loads crypto mining code on the computer, or by infecting a website or online ad with JavaScript code that auto-executes once loaded in the victim’s browser.Consequently, this crypto mining code is able to work out of sight of unsuspecting victims, often without notice. The only visible signs are often associated with slower performance or lags in execution.Cryptojacking is extremely popular and growing as a cyberthreat. This is due to the overall uncertainty associated with infected computers as well as a demand for offsetting large computing restraints presented by traditional crypto mining.The cryptocurrency that is mined is sent into a hacker’s wallet. Cryptojacking malware is most commonly found in web browser, but it can be downloaded onto computers, smart phones, and entire network servers. How to Prevent CryptojackingAs cryptojacking attacks utilize very similar techniques used in more traditional types of cyberattacks, the methods to protect against them are similar.First, it is important to be aware of the dangers of phishing-type attacks. Even basic security training should include building awareness of what attacks look like, as well as particularly signs that an attacker might be trying to load malicious code.Because many cryptojacking attacks are implemented through users’ web browsers, it is advised to improve security on them as well. There are a wide range of easy ways to improve web browser security. This includes a web browser that’s build with security in mind, in tandem with a good ad blocker to disable potentially malicious scripts. Web browser security can also be improved by using a quality VPN, and there are several widely available add-ons specifically designed to detect and block crypto mining scripts.
Cryptojacking is defined as the unauthorized use of an individual’s computer to mine cryptocurrency. Hackers accomplish this feat by through several means.This includes obtaining access via malicious links in an email that loads crypto mining code on the computer, or by infecting a website or online ad with JavaScript code that auto-executes once loaded in the victim’s browser.Consequently, this crypto mining code is able to work out of sight of unsuspecting victims, often without notice. The only visible signs are often associated with slower performance or lags in execution.Cryptojacking is extremely popular and growing as a cyberthreat. This is due to the overall uncertainty associated with infected computers as well as a demand for offsetting large computing restraints presented by traditional crypto mining.The cryptocurrency that is mined is sent into a hacker’s wallet. Cryptojacking malware is most commonly found in web browser, but it can be downloaded onto computers, smart phones, and entire network servers. How to Prevent CryptojackingAs cryptojacking attacks utilize very similar techniques used in more traditional types of cyberattacks, the methods to protect against them are similar.First, it is important to be aware of the dangers of phishing-type attacks. Even basic security training should include building awareness of what attacks look like, as well as particularly signs that an attacker might be trying to load malicious code.Because many cryptojacking attacks are implemented through users’ web browsers, it is advised to improve security on them as well. There are a wide range of easy ways to improve web browser security. This includes a web browser that’s build with security in mind, in tandem with a good ad blocker to disable potentially malicious scripts. Web browser security can also be improved by using a quality VPN, and there are several widely available add-ons specifically designed to detect and block crypto mining scripts.
Read this Term attacks over the past few years.
Virginia-based bank Capital One revealed in July that more than 100 million of its customers had their personal data exposed in a hack. The hack also affected 6 million in Canada, and the leaked data was used for hijacking the resources of comprised machines to solve mathematical problems and collect cryptocurrency rewards.
Cryptojacking, which is also known as cryptomining malware or coinjacking, has become a rampant practice. As Finance Magnates previously reported, instances of such malware have shot up over the last two years, leading commentators to warn of an epidemic.
Popular blogging platform Ghost and tech firms LineageOS and Digicert were the latest victims of cryptomining attacks, a kind of malware that harnessed their computing powers for mining Cryptocurrencies
Cryptocurrencies
By using cryptography, virtual currencies, known as cryptocurrencies, are nearly counterfeit-proof digital currencies that are built on blockchain technology. Comprised of decentralized networks, blockchain technology is not overseen by a central authority.Therefore, cryptocurrencies function in a decentralized nature which theoretically makes them immune to government interference. The term, cryptocurrency derives from the origin of the encryption techniques that are employed to secure the networks which are used to authenticate blockchain technology. Cryptocurrencies can be thought of as systems that accept online payments which are denoted as “tokens.” Tokens are represented as internal ledger entries in blockchain technology while the term crypto is used to depict cryptographic methods and encryption algorithms such as public-private key pairs, various hashing functions, and an elliptical curve. Every cryptocurrency transaction that occurs is logged in a web-based ledger with blockchain technology.These then must be approved by a disparate network of individual nodes (computers that maintain a copy of the ledger). For every new block generated, the block must first be authenticated and confirmed ‘approved’ by each node, which makes forging the transactional history of cryptocurrencies nearly impossible. The World’s First CryptoBitcoin became the first blockchain-based cryptocurrency and to this day is still the most demanded cryptocurrency and the most valued. Bitcoin still contributes the majority of the overall cryptocurrency market volume, though several other cryptos have grown in popularity in recent years.Indeed, out of the wake of Bitcoin, iterations of Bitcoin became prevalent which resulted in a multitude of newly created or cloned cryptocurrencies. Contending cryptocurrencies that emerged after Bitcoin’s success is referred to as ‘altcoins’ and they refer to cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Peercoin, Namecoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Stellar, and Dash. Cryptocurrencies promise a wide range of technological innovations that have yet to be structured into being. Simplified payments between two parties without the need for a middle man is one aspect while leveraging blockchain technology to minimize transaction and processing fees for banks is another. Of course, cryptocurrencies have their disadvantages too. This includes issues of tax evasion, money laundering, and other illicit online activities where anonymity is a dire ingredient in solicitous and fraudulent activities.
By using cryptography, virtual currencies, known as cryptocurrencies, are nearly counterfeit-proof digital currencies that are built on blockchain technology. Comprised of decentralized networks, blockchain technology is not overseen by a central authority.Therefore, cryptocurrencies function in a decentralized nature which theoretically makes them immune to government interference. The term, cryptocurrency derives from the origin of the encryption techniques that are employed to secure the networks which are used to authenticate blockchain technology. Cryptocurrencies can be thought of as systems that accept online payments which are denoted as “tokens.” Tokens are represented as internal ledger entries in blockchain technology while the term crypto is used to depict cryptographic methods and encryption algorithms such as public-private key pairs, various hashing functions, and an elliptical curve. Every cryptocurrency transaction that occurs is logged in a web-based ledger with blockchain technology.These then must be approved by a disparate network of individual nodes (computers that maintain a copy of the ledger). For every new block generated, the block must first be authenticated and confirmed ‘approved’ by each node, which makes forging the transactional history of cryptocurrencies nearly impossible. The World’s First CryptoBitcoin became the first blockchain-based cryptocurrency and to this day is still the most demanded cryptocurrency and the most valued. Bitcoin still contributes the majority of the overall cryptocurrency market volume, though several other cryptos have grown in popularity in recent years.Indeed, out of the wake of Bitcoin, iterations of Bitcoin became prevalent which resulted in a multitude of newly created or cloned cryptocurrencies. Contending cryptocurrencies that emerged after Bitcoin’s success is referred to as ‘altcoins’ and they refer to cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Peercoin, Namecoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Stellar, and Dash. Cryptocurrencies promise a wide range of technological innovations that have yet to be structured into being. Simplified payments between two parties without the need for a middle man is one aspect while leveraging blockchain technology to minimize transaction and processing fees for banks is another. Of course, cryptocurrencies have their disadvantages too. This includes issues of tax evasion, money laundering, and other illicit online activities where anonymity is a dire ingredient in solicitous and fraudulent activities.
Read this Term.
Ghost confirmed it had been hacked as attackers abused the vulnerabilities in popular infrastructure tool Salt and gained access to the Ghost (Pro) sites and Ghost.org billing services.
The open-source platform, which has more than 2 million installs and 750,000 registered users, said its developers quickly detected flaws in the Salt configuration management framework. The mining attempt spiked CPUs and quickly overloaded most of their systems, which alerted us to the issue immediately.
Ghost, which counts big names customers such as Mozilla, NASA, and DuckDuckGo, said customer information and user credentials weren’t infiltrated during the incident.
“All traces of the crypto-mining virus were successfully eliminated yesterday, all systems remain stable, and we have not discovered any further concerns or issues on our network. The team is now working hard on remediation to clean and rebuild our entire network,” the company said on its status page.
The developer of Salt, Saltstack, has introduced two updates to address the vulnerabilities in its tool, which is widely used by data centers and in cloud-based environments for server configuration and monitoring.
Ghost's cloud isn’t the first to be hacked by cryptocurrency miners. Several businesses and government agencies have fallen victim to Cryptojacking
Cryptojacking
Cryptojacking is defined as the unauthorized use of an individual’s computer to mine cryptocurrency. Hackers accomplish this feat by through several means.This includes obtaining access via malicious links in an email that loads crypto mining code on the computer, or by infecting a website or online ad with JavaScript code that auto-executes once loaded in the victim’s browser.Consequently, this crypto mining code is able to work out of sight of unsuspecting victims, often without notice. The only visible signs are often associated with slower performance or lags in execution.Cryptojacking is extremely popular and growing as a cyberthreat. This is due to the overall uncertainty associated with infected computers as well as a demand for offsetting large computing restraints presented by traditional crypto mining.The cryptocurrency that is mined is sent into a hacker’s wallet. Cryptojacking malware is most commonly found in web browser, but it can be downloaded onto computers, smart phones, and entire network servers. How to Prevent CryptojackingAs cryptojacking attacks utilize very similar techniques used in more traditional types of cyberattacks, the methods to protect against them are similar.First, it is important to be aware of the dangers of phishing-type attacks. Even basic security training should include building awareness of what attacks look like, as well as particularly signs that an attacker might be trying to load malicious code.Because many cryptojacking attacks are implemented through users’ web browsers, it is advised to improve security on them as well. There are a wide range of easy ways to improve web browser security. This includes a web browser that’s build with security in mind, in tandem with a good ad blocker to disable potentially malicious scripts. Web browser security can also be improved by using a quality VPN, and there are several widely available add-ons specifically designed to detect and block crypto mining scripts.
Cryptojacking is defined as the unauthorized use of an individual’s computer to mine cryptocurrency. Hackers accomplish this feat by through several means.This includes obtaining access via malicious links in an email that loads crypto mining code on the computer, or by infecting a website or online ad with JavaScript code that auto-executes once loaded in the victim’s browser.Consequently, this crypto mining code is able to work out of sight of unsuspecting victims, often without notice. The only visible signs are often associated with slower performance or lags in execution.Cryptojacking is extremely popular and growing as a cyberthreat. This is due to the overall uncertainty associated with infected computers as well as a demand for offsetting large computing restraints presented by traditional crypto mining.The cryptocurrency that is mined is sent into a hacker’s wallet. Cryptojacking malware is most commonly found in web browser, but it can be downloaded onto computers, smart phones, and entire network servers. How to Prevent CryptojackingAs cryptojacking attacks utilize very similar techniques used in more traditional types of cyberattacks, the methods to protect against them are similar.First, it is important to be aware of the dangers of phishing-type attacks. Even basic security training should include building awareness of what attacks look like, as well as particularly signs that an attacker might be trying to load malicious code.Because many cryptojacking attacks are implemented through users’ web browsers, it is advised to improve security on them as well. There are a wide range of easy ways to improve web browser security. This includes a web browser that’s build with security in mind, in tandem with a good ad blocker to disable potentially malicious scripts. Web browser security can also be improved by using a quality VPN, and there are several widely available add-ons specifically designed to detect and block crypto mining scripts.
Read this Term attacks over the past few years.
Virginia-based bank Capital One revealed in July that more than 100 million of its customers had their personal data exposed in a hack. The hack also affected 6 million in Canada, and the leaked data was used for hijacking the resources of comprised machines to solve mathematical problems and collect cryptocurrency rewards.
Cryptojacking, which is also known as cryptomining malware or coinjacking, has become a rampant practice. As Finance Magnates previously reported, instances of such malware have shot up over the last two years, leading commentators to warn of an epidemic.