New Linux Malware Mines Crypto, Remaining Undetectable

A new virus is in the latest cryptocurrency news. According to two threat analysts, there is a new Linux malware which keeps its cryptocurrency mining operations hidden.

It all started yesterday, when two guys named Augusto Remillano II and Jakub Urbanec published a post on Trend Micro (security intelligence blog) that they found a new Linux malware. As their analysis outlines, the malware is particularly notable because of the way that it loads malicious kernel modules to hide its cryptocurrency mining operations.

“Skidmap, a Linux malware that we recently stumbled upon, demonstrates the increasing complexity of recent cryptocurrency-mining threats. This malware is notable because of the way it loads malicious kernel modules to keep its cryptocurrency mining operations under the radar,” their post describing the new Linux malware noted.

The analysts also revealed that Skidmap masks its cryptocurrency mining by using a root kit, which is basically a program that installs and executes code on a system without the end user consent on knowledge. This is how the new Linux malware makes its components undetectable by the infected system and its monitoring tools.

Aside from running a cryptojacking campaign on the infected machine, the new Linux malware gives attackers “unfettered access” to the affected system. As the analysts describe it:

“Skidmap also sets up a way to gain backdoor access to the machine, and also replaces the system’s pam_unix.so file with its own malicious version. This malicious file accepts a specific password for any users, thus allowing the attackers to log in as any user in the machine.”

Many best cryptocurrency news sites have posted about the rise of cryptojacking so far, and how hackers use their victim’s computers to steal crypto through stealth mining attacks which work by installing malware or gaining access to a computer’s processing power to mine crypto.

Well, new threat reports by McAfee Labs showed that cryptojacking campaigns and ransomware attacks are on the rise. The reports unveil that there is a 29% increase in cryptojacking campaigns this year.

This is why it goes a long way to be informed about the latest cryptocurrency attacks and threats.