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User Privacy
Android Banking Malware Cerberus Crypto Wallets Cyble Google malware Trojan Attacks User Privacy

Over 467 Apps Hit by the ERMAC 2.0 Android Banking Trojan

 

The ERMAC Android banking virus has been updated to version 2.0, increasing the number of apps targeted from 378 to 467, allowing attackers to steal account passwords and crypto wallets from a much greater number of apps.

Threatfabric researchers found ERMAC in July 2021, notably it is based on the well-known banking trojan Cerberus. Cerberus' source code was released in September 2020 on underground hacking forums after its operators failed an auction. The trojan's goal is to send stolen login credentials to threat actors, who then use them to gain access to other people's banking and cryptocurrency accounts and commit financial or other crimes.

ERMAC is currently available for subscription to members of darknet sites for $5,000 a month, that is a $2k increase over the first release's price, indicating the boost in features and popularity. A bogus Bolt Food application targeting the Polish market is the first malware campaign to use the new ERMAC 2.0 virus. According to ESET researchers, the threat actors disseminated the Android software by impersonating a reputable European food delivery business on the "bolt-food[.]site" website. This phony website is still active. 

Phishing emails, fraudulent social media posts, smishing, malvertising, and other methods are likely to lead users to the false site. If users download the program, they will be confronted with a request for complete ownership of private data.

Following ESET's early discovery, Cyble researchers examined the malware. ERMAC determines whether programs are installed on the host device before sending the data to the C2 server. The answer contains encrypted HTML injection modules which match the application list, which the virus decrypts and saves as "setting.xml" in the Shared Preference file. When the victim tries to run the real program, the injection operation takes place, and a phishing page is displayed on top of the original one. The credentials are forwarded to the same C2 that is responsible for the injections.

The following commands are supported by ERMAC 2.0:

  • downloadingInjections — sends the application list for injections to be downloaded.
  • logs — this command sends the injection logs to the server.
  • checkAP — check the status of the application and transmit it to the server. 
  • registration – sends information about the device.
  • updateBotParams — sends the bot parameters that have been updated.
  • downloadInjection — this function is used to download the phishing HTML page. 

EMAC 2.0 targets financial apps from all over the world, making it appropriate for use in a wide range of nations. A large number of apps supported makes this a dangerous piece of malware, but it's worth mentioning that it would have issues in Android versions 11 and 12, thanks to extra limits implemented by Google to prevent misuse of the Accessibility Service.
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RedLine Stealer
Binance Blockchain Crypto Scam Crypto Wallets Cyber Security Netskope NFTs Phishing Attacks RedLine Stealer

Users' Crypto Wallets are Stolen by Fake Binance NFT Mystery Box Bots

 

Researchers have discovered a new campaign to disperse the RedLine Stealer — a low-cost password seeker sold on underground forums — by mutating oneself with the data malware from GitHub repositories using a fake Binance NFT mystery box bots, an array of YouTube videos that take advantage of global interest in NFTs. 

The enticement is the promise of a bot that will automatically purchase Binance NFT Mystery Boxes as they become available. Binance mystery boxes are collections of non-fungible token (NFT) things for users to purchase in the hopes of receiving a one-of-a-kind or uncommon item at a discounted price. Some of the NFTs obtained in such boxes can be used in online blockchain games to add unusual cosmetics or identities. However, the bot is a hoax. According to Gustavo Palazolo, a malware analyst at Netskope Threat Labs, the video descriptions on the YouTube pages encourage victims to accidentally download RedLine Stealer from a GitHub link. 

In the NFT market, mystery boxes are popular because they provide individuals with the thrill of the unknown as well as the possibility of a large payout if they win a rare NFT. However, marketplaces such as Binance sell them in limited quantities, making some crates difficult to obtain before they sell out. 

"We found in this attempt that the attacker is also exploiting GitHub in the threat flow, to host the payloads," Palazolo said. "RedLine Stealer was already known for manipulating YouTube videos to proliferate through false themes," Palazolo said. The advertising was spotted by Netskope in April. "While RedLine Stealer is a low-cost malware, it has several capabilities that might do considerable harm to its victims, including the loss of sensitive data," Palazolo said. This is why prospective buyers frequently use "bots" to obtain them, and it is exactly this big trend that threat actors are attempting to exploit. 

The Ads were uploaded during March and April 2022, and each one includes a link to a GitHub repository that purports to host the bot but instead distributes RedLine. "BinanceNFT.bot v1.3.zip" is the name of the dropped file, which contains a program of a similar name, which is the cargo, a Visual C++ installation, and a README.txt file. Because RedLine is written in.NET, it demands the VC redistributable setup file to run, whereas the prose file contains the victim's installation instructions.

If the infected machine is found in any of the following countries, the virus does not run, according to Palazolo: Armenia, Azerbaijan,  Belarus,  Kazakhstan,  Kyrgyzstan,  Moldova,  Russia,  Tajikistan Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

The repository's GitHub account, "NFTSupp," began work in March 2022, according to Palazolo. The same source also contains 15 zipped files including five different RedLine Stealer loaders. "While each of the five loaders we looked at is slightly different, they all unzip and inject RedLine Stealer in the same fashion, as we discussed earlier in this report. The oldest sample we identified was most likely created on March 11, 2022, and the newest sample was most likely compiled on April 7, 2022," he said. These promotions, on the other hand, use rebrand.ly URLs that lead to MediaFire downloads. This operation is also spreading password-stealing trojans, according to VirusTotal. 

RedLine is now available for $100 per month on a subscription basis to independent operators, and it allows for the theft of login passwords and cookies from browsers, content from chat apps, VPN keys, and cryptocurrency wallets. Keep in mind that the validity of platforms like YouTube and GitHub doesn't really inherently imply content reliability, as these sites' upload checks and moderation systems are inadequate.
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Trojan Attacks
Crypto Wallets DeFi IP Address Lazarus Group malware NFTs North Korea Remote Code Execution Spear Phishing attacks Trojan Attacks

Hackers in Dprk use Trojanized DeFi Wallet App to Steal Bitcoin

 

North Korean government-linked hackers have now been circulating a trojanized version of a DeFi Wallet for holding bitcoin assets to obtain access to cryptocurrency users' and investors' systems.

Securing economic benefits is one of the primary motives for the Lazarus threat actor, with a focus on the cryptocurrency industry. The Lazarus group's targeting of the financial industry is increasing as the price of cryptocurrencies rises and the appeal of the non-fungible asset (NFT) and decentralized finance (DeFi) enterprises grows.

In this attack, the threat actor used web servers in South Korea to distribute malware and communicate with the implants that had been placed. Kaspersky Lab researchers recently identified a malicious version of the DeFi Wallet software that installed both the legal app and a backdoor disguised as a Google Chrome web browser executable. When the trojanized DeFi application was launched on the machine, it introduced a full-featured backdoor with a compilation date of November 2021. It's unknown how the hackers spread the word, but phishing emails or contacting victims through social media are both possibilities. 

Although it's not clear how the threat actor persuaded the victim to run the Trojanized program (0b9f4612cdfe763b3d8c8a956157474a), it is believed they used a spear-phishing email or social media to contact the victim. The Trojanized application initiates the previously unknown infection technique. This installation package masquerades as DeFi Wallet software, but it actually contains a legal binary that has been packed with the installer. 

The virus installed in this manner, as per the researchers, has "sufficient capabilities to manage" the target host by issuing Windows commands, uninstalling, starting or killing processes, enumerating files and related information, or connecting the computer to a particular IP address. 

The malware operator can also collect relevant data (IP, name, OS, CPU architecture) and the discs (kind, free space available), files from the command and control server (C2), and retrieve a list of files stored in a specified area using additional functionalities. According to Japan CERT, the CookieTime malware group known as LCPDot has been linked to the DPRK operation Dream Job, which enticed victims with phony job offers from well-known firms. 

Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG) revealed recent activity related to Dream Job earlier this month, finding North Korean threat actors used a loophole for a zero-day, remote code execution bug in Chrome to aim at people working for media, IT companies, cryptocurrency, and fintech companies. "The CookieTime cluster has linkages with the Manuscrypt and ThreatNeedle clusters, which are also attributed to the Lazarus organization," Kaspersky adds. 

The links between the current trojanized DeFiWallet software and other malware attributed to North Korean hackers go beyond the virus code to the C2 scripts, which overlap many functions and variable names. It's worth mentioning that Lazarus is the umbrella name for all state-sponsored North Korean threat operations. Within the DPRK, however, several threat groups are operating under different institutions/departments of the country's intelligence establishment. 

Mandiant analysts prepared an evaluation of the DPRK's cyber program structure using data collected over 16 months from its digital activity tracking for the entire country, OSINT monitoring, defector reporting, and imaging analysis. Targeting bitcoin heists is certainly within the scope of financially motivated units inside the country's Reconnaissance General Bureau's 3rd Bureau (Foreign Intelligence), according to their map (RGB).   
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User Security
Crypto Wallets Indian Crypto Wallet malware User Security

Indian Crypto Wallets Targeted by Newly Discovered ‘BHUNT’ Malware

 

Threat actors are now stealing cryptocurrency wallet contents, and passwords by targeting the crypto wallets. Researchers from cyber security firm Bitdefender discovered crypto wallet hijacking malware dubbed ‘BHUNT’ targeting victims’ devices through installations of malicious software and attacks Exodus, Electrum, Atomic, Jaxx, Ethereum, Bitcoin, and Litecoin wallets. 

To bypass detection and triggering security warnings, the malware employs Themida and VMProtect, two virtual machine packers that hinder reverse-engineering and analysis by researchers.

"BHUNT is a modular stealer written in .NET, capable of exfiltrating wallet (Exodus, Electrum, Atomic, Jaxx, Ethereum, Bitcoin, Litecoin wallets) contents, passwords stored in the browser, and passphrases captured from the clipboard," Bitdefender researchers explained in a technical report.

The modus operandi of using cracked software installers as an infection source for initial access mirrors similar cybercrime campaigns that have leveraged tools such as KMSPico, a popular utility for illegally activating Microsoft products. "Most infected users also had some form of crack for Windows (KMS) on their systems,'' the researchers noted.

The researchers indicated the level of infections spotted on a map, and the countries with the most infections presented were Australia, Egypt, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, and the U.S.

The main feature of BHUNT is 'mscrlib.exe,' which exfiltrates further modules that are executed on a compromised system to perform different malicious activities. Each module is designed for a specific purpose ranging from stealing cryptocurrency wallets to stealing passwords. Using a modular approach, the threat actors can customize BHUNT for different campaigns or easily add new features. 

Once the attackers gain access to the wallet's seed or configuration file, they can use it to import the wallet on their own devices and steal the contained cryptocurrency. Although BHUNT's focus is clearly financial, its information-stealing capabilities could enable its operators to gather much more than just crypto-wallet data. 

"While the malware primarily focuses on stealing information related to cryptocurrency wallets, it can also harvest passwords and cookies stored in browser caches. This might include account passwords for social media, banking, etc. that might even result in an online identity takeover," researchers added.

Bitdefender also published recommendations to avoid being infected with BHUNT or with other, similar password-stealing malware. To mitigate risks, users should simply avoid downloading pirated software, cracks, and illegitimate product activators.
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Ransomware
Crypto Currency Crypto Mining Crypto Wallets malware Password Stealer QNAP Ransomware

QNAP : New Crypto-Miner Targeting the NAS Devices

 

A new variant of crypto-mining malware is affecting QNAP's network-attached storage (NAS) devices, as per a new security advisory posted by the Taiwanese hardware firm QNAP. 

The firm did not reveal how the devices were infected, but it did state that once the malware had established a grip on affected systems, it would build a process called [oom reaper] that would consume about 50% of the CPU's entire use. 

QNAP stated, “This process mimics a kernel process but its PID is usually greater than 1000.” 

While the infections are being examined, QNAP advised customers to protect themselves by updating their devices' operating systems (known as QTS or QuTS) and all QNAP add-on software. Furthermore, the business advised users to change all of their NAS account passwords because it was unclear whether the attackers leveraged a vulnerability or just brute-forced an internet-connected device that used a weak password. 

QNAP advised customers to reboot their devices and download and install the company's "Malware Remover" tool from the device's built-in App Center to eliminate the infection. The company's advisory provides step-by-step instructions on how to complete all three procedures above. 

Malware attacks on QNAP systems in the past 

However, in retrospect, the Taiwanese corporation is being utilized by malware gangs to attack its devices. Ransomware strains such as Muhstik, Qlocker, eCh0raix, and AgeLocker have all targeted QNAP devices in recent years, with hackers obtaining access to client NAS systems, encrypting data, and then demanding minor ransom payments. 

Crypto-mining malware has been uncommon, however, it has been seen in the past. QNAP NAS devices were targeted by the Dovecat crypto-mining malware in late 2020 and early 2021, which exploited weak passwords to gain access to QNAP systems. In 2019 and 2020, the QSnatch malware targeted the company's NAS devices, infecting roughly 62,000 systems by mid-June 2020, as per CISA and the UK NCSC. 

QSnatch did not have crypto-mining functionality, but it did have an SSH password stealer and exfiltration capabilities, which were the primary reasons that national cybersecurity agencies in the United States, the United Kingdom, Finland, and Germany became involved and issued national alerts about the botnet's operations.
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Ethereum
Bitcoin BitMart Crypto Wallets Crypto-wallet Cryptocurrencies Data Breach digital currency Ethereum

BitMart Will Compensate Victims of $196 Million Hack

 

The global Cryptocurrency trading platform BitMart has recently witnessed a security breach in the wake of which the company has released a statement and confirmed that the hackers have managed to steal $150 million in various cryptocurrencies. Sheldon Xia, BitMart’s CEO, and founder confirmed the breach on Twitter. 

The company confirmed in the statement that although all wallets, except ETH and BSC, are “secure and unharmed,” Bitmart has temporarily paused all withdrawals until further notice. 

“The affected ETH hot wallet and BSC hot wallet carry a small percentage of assets on BitMart and all of our other wallets are secure and unharmed. We are now conducting a thorough security review and we will post updates as we progress,” the company said in a statement. 

Additionally, Sheldon Xia said that during the investigation they discovered that the cryptocurrencies were drained by using a stolen private key which usually enables a user to access their cryptocurrency.

Furthermore, the company’s intelligence confirmed that it will compensate victims, it will use its own assets to recompense victims of this large-scale security breach. As per the sources, hackers withdrew $150 million in assets. However, blockchain security and data analytics firm Peckshield, which first confirmed the attack, claims that the loss is closer to $200 million. 

Owing to the cyberattack, the trade volume of the company has gone down, CoinGecko CEO Bobby reported. “Crypto exchange hacks are fairly common. Exchanges are a honeypot for hackers because of the high potential payoff for any successful exploit,” he said.

Bitmart was created by cryptocurrency enthusiasts, the roadmap began in November 2017. It has worldwide offices, with the company being registered in the Cayman Islands. The platform offers a mix of spot trading, OTC trading, leveraged futures trading as well as lending and staking services, and other services for digital assets. Also, in April, Bitmart registered with US regulators and was named MSB. 


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Windows Activator
Crypto Wallets Cyber Security KMSPico Windows Windows Activator

KMSPico Disguised as Windows Activator Steals Crypto Wallet Credentials

 

Individuals who attempt to activate Windows without a digital license or a product key are now being targeted via malware aimed to steal passwords and other information from bitcoin wallets. 

The malware, called "CryptBot," is an information stealer capable of stealing browser credentials, cryptocurrency wallet credentials, browser cookies, credit card information, as well as screenshots from compromised PCs. The current attack uses malware posing as KMSPico and is delivered via pirated software. 

KMSPico is an unauthorized utility used to illegally activate the full functionalities of pirated copies of software such as Microsoft Windows and the Office suite without a licensing key. 

"The user becomes infected by clicking one of the malicious links and downloading either KMSPico, Cryptbot, or another malware without KMSPico," Red Canary researcher Tony Lambert said in a report published last week. "The adversaries install KMSPico also because that is what the victim expects to happen, while simultaneously deploying Cryptbot behind the scenes." 

According to the business, much of that private data is obtained via cryptocurrency-related software such as: 

  • Atomic cryptocurrency wallet 
  • Ledger Live cryptocurrency wallet
  • Waves Client and Exchange cryptocurrency applications 
  • Coinomi cryptocurrency wallet 
  • Jaxx Liberty cryptocurrency wallet 
  • Electron Cash cryptocurrency wallet 
  • Electrum cryptocurrency wallet 
  • Exodus cryptocurrency wallet 
  • Monero cryptocurrency wallet 
  • MultiBitHD cryptocurrency wallet

According to the American cybersecurity firm, many Such IT departments have been discovered using unauthorized software instead of valid Microsoft licenses to activate systems, and the modified KMSpico installers are dispersed via several websites claiming to offer the "official" edition of the activator. This is far from the first instance cracked software has been used to spread malware. 

In June 2021, Czech cybersecurity software company Avast revealed the "Crackonosh" campaign, which entailed distributing illicit copies of popular software to hack into and exploit infected devices to mine for cryptocurrency, allowing the attacker to make over $2 million of earnings.
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User Credentials
Bitcoin Scam Crypto Wallets Cryptocurrency Frauds Cyber Fraud Google Ads Scam User Credentials

Fraudsters Used Google Ads to Steal Around $500k Worth of Cryptocurrency

 

Crypto-criminals are using Google Ads to target victims with fraudulent wallets that steal credentials and empty accounts. So far, the cyber-thieves appear to have stolen more than $500,000 and counting. 

As per a recent Check Point Research analysis, the ads appear to connect to popular crypto-wallets Phantom and MetaMask for download. Based on the research, attackers began their hunt for potential victims by utilizing Google Ads and clicking on the fraudulent Google Ad leads to a malicious site that has been falsified to seem like the Phantom (or sometimes MetaMask) wallet site. 

The researchers stated, “Over the past weekend, Check Point Research encountered hundreds of incidents in which crypto-investors lost their money while trying to download and install well-known crypto wallets or change their currencies on crypto-swap platforms like PancakeSwap or Uniswap.” 

After that, the target is prompted to create a new account with a "Secret Recovery Phrase." They must also construct a password for the alleged account (which is harvested by the attackers). As per Check Point, users are subsequently given a keyboard shortcut to open the wallet and then directed to the legitimate Phantom site. The legitimate site offers users the Phantom wallet Google Chrome extension. Crypto-criminals have also targeted MetaMask wallets by purchasing Google Ads that drove users to a fake MetaMask site. 

The analysts further stated, “In a matter of days, we witnessed the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of crypto. We estimate that over $500k worth of crypto was stolen this past weekend alone. I believe we’re at the advent of a new cybercrime trend, where scammers will use Google Search as a primary attack vector to reach crypto wallets, instead of traditionally phishing through email.” 

“In our observation, each advertisement had careful messaging and keyword selection, in order to stand out in search results. The phishing websites where victims were directed to reflected meticulous copying and imitation of wallet brand messaging. And what’s most alarming is that multiple scammer groups are bidding for keywords on Google Ads, which is likely a signal of the success of these new phishing campaigns that are geared to heist crypto wallets. Unfortunately, I expect this to become a fast-growing trend in cybercrime. I strongly urge the crypto community to double-check the URLs they click on and avoid clicking on Google Ads related to crypto wallets at this time.” 

Check Point researchers recommended a few protective measures: 
  1. Verify the browser's URL: Only the extension should create the password, and always check the browser URL to see if it's an extension or a website. 
  2. Find the icon for the extension: The extension will have a chrome-extension URL and an extension icon near it. 
  3. Skip the ads. If users are looking for wallets, crypto trading, and swapping platforms in the crypto world, always look at the first website that comes up in the search rather than the ad, since they might lead to users being fooled by attackers. 
  4. Take a look at the URL: Last but not least, make sure the URLs are double-checked.
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Threat actors
Cookies Credential stealing Crypto Wallets Cyber Security Threat actors

Vidar Stealer Abuses Mastodon to get C2 Configuration Without Raising Alarms

 

The Vidar stealer has reappeared in a new campaign that takes advantage of the Mastodon social media network to obtain C2 configuration without raising alerts. New campaigns of Vidar Stealer's more recent versions suggest a new venue where Vidar receives dynamic configurations and drop zone information for downloading and uploading files. Vidar Stealer previously used the Thumbler and Faceit gaming platforms to access dynamic configuration from threat actors.

Vidar, first spotted in October 2018, is a descendant of the former Arkei Stealer, which, due to its simplicity, dynamic configuration methods, and continued development, appears to be one of the most popular stealers at the present. Vidar developers refined and centralized the execution vector, making each stealer independent and eliminating the need for extra executables.

All popular browser information such as passwords, cookies, history, and credit card details, cryptocurrency wallets, files according to regex strings provided by the TA, Telegram credentials for Windows versions, file transfer application information (WINSCP, FTP, FileZilla), and mailing application information are among the data that Vidar attempts to steal from infected machines. 

Vidar's victimology is made up of private individuals, streamers, and social influencers from all over the world. Manufacturing enterprises and financial institutions are targeted in some situations, usually in spam campaigns.

Vidar's usage of Mastodon, a popular open-source social media network, to gain dynamic configuration and C2 connectivity is what makes this campaign unique. The threat actors create Mastodon accounts and then put the IP of the stealer's C2 to their profile's description section. 

The goal is to secure communications from the compromised machine to the configuration source, and because Mastodon is a trusted platform, security tools shouldn't red flag it. At the same time, Mastodon is a relatively unmoderated space, making it unlikely that these malicious profiles will be discovered, reported, and removed. According to Cyberint researchers that uncovered this campaign, each C2 they saw included between 500 and 1,500 separate campaign IDs, indicating Vidar's widespread deployment. 

In preparation for data exfiltration, Vidar Stealer stores all acquired data in a working directory with a random 25-character name, including credentials from a variety of chat, email, FTP, and web-browsing applications, as well as cryptocurrency wallets, a desktop screenshot, and details of the system configuration.
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malware
Bitcoin Cookies Crypto Wallets Cyrptocurrency Financial Credentials malware

Raccoon Stealer has been Upgraded to Steal Cryptocurrency Alongside Financial Information

 

With the rise of ransomware and as-a-service offers, malware has become an ever-growing concern in the cyber realm. The developers of the Raccoon Stealer which is an information stealer have shifted their target, according to ZeroFox Threat Research. 

Since the beginning of the quarter, there have been several upgrades, the most prominent of which is the installation of new "crypters." The goal of a crypter is to obfuscate a binary by adding junk code, breaking up the flow of code without affecting the original functionality, or encrypting parts of code so that static signatures cannot identify them. Support for stealing various new bitcoin wallets has also been added, as well as the addition of Discord to the list of targeted applications. 

The stealer is being bundled with malware such as malicious browser extensions, crypto miners, the Djvu/Stop consumer ransomware strain, and click-fraud bots targeting YouTube sessions, according to samples received by Sophos. 

Raccoon Stealer is a sort of information stealer malware that was originally advertised in April 2019 on several underground forums by an attacker using the handle "raccoonstealer." It can steal stored auto-fill data, cookies, credentials, credit card info, and history from Chromium-based browsers like Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, just like most other stealers. Theft of many cryptocurrency wallets on a targeted basis is also possible. New cryptocurrencies are frequently added via updates, but it may also be customised to look for any wallet.dat file. 

A "clipper" for cryptocurrency theft is included in the upgraded stealer. The QuilClipper tool specifically targets wallets and associated passwords, as well as Steam-based transaction data. "QuilClipper steals cryptocurrency and Steam transactions by continuously monitoring the system clipboard of Windows devices it infects, watching for cryptocurrency wallet addresses and Steam trade offers by running clipboard contents through a matrix of regular expressions to identify them," the researchers noted. 

In the two years after its release, the team behind Raccoon Stealer has established itself as a capable team, frequently releasing new features and gaining a mostly positive reputation among the community. They've also showed a readiness to add functionality in response to customer requests, as demonstrated by the recently launched API for automatically creating encrypted builds.
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Cyber Attacks
Crypto Currency Crypto Exchange Crypto Hack Crypto Wallets cryptocurrency Cryptocurrency exchange Cyber Attacks

As Crypto Exchange Attacks Surge Users Must Protect Their Crypto Wallets



As cryptocurrency goes from being an academic concept to becoming a type of transaction that has the potential to significantly reduce cyber fraud, cryptocurrency crimes have seen a likewise rise with cybercriminals targeting cryptocurrency exchanges and crypto-wallets. 

Despite the global pandemic wreaking havoc on economies, cryptocurrency has continued to grow, leading to a rise in the number of crypto exchanges worldwide. Subsequently, several top crypto companies in the Bay area were seen investing in Indian exchanges as well. 

While cryptocurrencies are particularly secure, crypto exchanges are susceptible to a number of vulnerabilities as they remain largely unregulated. It has resulted in exchanges being hacked every year in large numbers. The sudden surge in the popularity of cryptocurrency has meant investments by many amateur investors who didn't take time to fully understand how the crypto scene works. The lack of knowledge has been rampantly exploited by threat actors who saw it as a chance to scam and exploit crypto space. 

Throughout 2020, attacks linked to Blockchain alone accounted for nearly a third of all time attacks targeted at blockchain. Reportedly, the total monetary losses in a total of 122 attacks were almost $3.78 billion. Ethereum (ETH) DApps were the most often targeted – costing users nearly $436.36 million in 2020 alone. There were 47 successful attacks aimed at decentralized applications based on the Ethereum smart contract. 

New-Zealand-based, Cryptopia exchange was breached in 2019 as hackers managed to siphon $11 million worth of funds from the exchange. Following the security breach, the exchange went dark citing an announcement that read: “We are experiencing an unscheduled maintenance, we are working to resume the services as soon as possible. We will keep you updated.” 

Altsbit, an Italian crypto exchange, lost $70,000 in a hack within a few months of being around. The exchange announced that it will refund the affected users and will terminate its services in May 2020. “We will refund whatever we are holding on cold storage to users and then the platform will close down, ” the company stated in an email to Cointelegraph. Though it remained unclear how the hackers pulled off the attack, reports stated that the cybercrime group 'Lulzsec' was behind the hack. 

UPbit, a popular South Korean cryptocurrency exchange lost approximately $45 million (342,000 ETH) in a 2019 crypto theft. It went on to become the seventh-largest crypto exchange hack of the year. 

Liquid Global, a Japanese crypto exchange reported suffering a massive hacking incident, which resulted in the loss of digital assets worth $97 million. It included Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, and stablecoins. Liquid claimed that the attacker targeted a Multi-Party Computation wallet (an advanced cryptographic technique). 

In order to stay ahead of the crypto hackers, a few ways to secure your cryptocurrency are: ensuring the security of the Internet, using a cold wallet, changing passwords at regular periods, maintaining multiple wallets, staying wary of phishing attacks, and securing your personal device.
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OpenSea
Crypto Wallets Cyber Fraud Discord NFTs OpenSea

Scammers Steal Victims Cryptowallets And NFTs, Posing as OpenSea Agents

 

The latest, quite significant, and severe Discord phishing attack intended at stealing cryptocurrency funds and NFTs have badly attacked OpenSea users. Cybercriminals have been sneaking on OpenSea's Discord server for the past week, masquerading as authorized support representatives for the website. These bogus employees provide confidential support to an OpenSea user in need, resulting in the loss of cryptocurrency and NFT collectibles managed in the victim's MetaMask wallets. 

OpenSea is the world's largest NFT marketplace, with a 542 percent rise in volume over the last month, accounting for over half of the company's entire lifetime transaction volume of $2.423 billion. 

OpenSea is indeed a peer-to-peer marketplace for crypto collectibles and non-fungible tokens. It encompasses collectibles, gaming items, and other virtual products secured by a blockchain. A smart contract on OpenSea allows anybody to buy or sell these products. This instance was a scenario where the fraudsters took advantage of the working of the site. 

Whenever an OpenSea user requires assistance, they could contact the site's help center or the site's Discord server. Later when the user joins the Discord server and publishes a help request, fraudsters lurking on the server immediately start sending the user personal messages. These messages include an invitation to an OpenSea Support server to receive further assistance. 

Jeff Nicholas, an artist who was a victim of this fraud, informed Bleeping Computer that after joining the bogus OpenSea support server, the scammers urged him to open the tab on screen sharing so that they could offer assistance and guidance in resolving the issue. 

“Lots of grooming, processing through the issue pulling you in. Then ask you to screen share so they can see what you are seeing”, Nicholas told. 

“Say you require to resync you MM and at this point your sort of stuck into fixing this thing whatever it is. Pull up QR code and it immediately says “synced” (because they scanned it). So then they have your seed phrase (without actually having it),” he explained.  

It is possible to sync the mobile MetaMask wallet with the Chrome extension by going to 'Settings', clicking on 'Advanced', and thereafter tapping 'Sync with mobile'. On this screen, users would be required to enter the password and then a QR code would be generated. 

The Mobile MetaMask Software automatically scans this QR Code to synchronize and import the user's Chrome wallet, immediately. Nevertheless, any user who encounters this QR code along with the bogus support representatives, can take a screenshot and use that snapshot to synchronize the wallet into their smartphone apps. 

Whenever the bogus support agents scan the QR code on their smartphone app, they gain complete access to the cryptocurrency and any NFT collectibles stored within it. The victims are then transported to the threat actors' wallets. 

To avoid having the wallets swiped by these types of frauds, one must never disclose their wallet's recovery keys, password phrases, or QR codes used for synchronizing. 

“Saddened to listen an OpenSea user was the victim of a significant phishing attack last night,” read a tweet by OpenSea’s Head of Product Nate Chastain. “The scammer masquerades as an OpenSea employee and has the user scan a QR code granting wallet access. Please be attentive and direct support requests through our Help Center/ZenDesk.”
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Threat actors
Crypto Wallets FTP Malicious Campaign malware Passwords Russia Threat actors

Ficker – An Info-Stealer Malware Being Distributed by Russians

 

Threat actors are using the Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS) model to attack Windows users, according to researchers. The new info-stealer malware “Ficker” was discovered and is being disseminated via a Russian underground forum by threat actors. FickerStealer is a family of data-stealing malware that first appeared in the year 2020. It can steal sensitive data such as passwords, online browser passwords, cryptocurrency wallets, FTP client information, Windows Credential Manager information, and session information from various chat and email clients. 

Unlike in the past, when Ficker was spread via Trojanized web links and hacked websites, causing victims to unintentionally download the payload, the current outbreak is stealthy and uses the well-known malware downloader Hancitor to spread. 

Hancitor (also known as Chanitor) malware first appeared in the wild in 2013, relying on social engineering techniques such as posing as DocuSign, a genuine document signing service. This malware tricked users into allowing its harmful macro code to run, allowing it to infect the victim's computer. Hancitor will attempt to download a wide range of additional harmful components after connecting to its command-and-control (C2) infrastructure, depending on its operators' most recent malicious campaign. 

The attack begins with the attackers sending malicious spam emails with a weaponized Microsoft Word document attached, which is fully phoney yet masquerades as the real thing. Spam email content entices victims to open it, resulting in the execution of malicious macro code that allows Hancitor to communicate with the command and control server and get a malicious URL containing a Ficker sample.

It employs the evasion approach to avoid detection by injecting Ficker into an instance of svchost.exe on the victim's PC and concealing its activity. Threat actors routinely utilize svchost.exe to hide malware in the system process and avoid detection by typical antivirus software. 

Researchers also discovered that Ficker is heavily obfuscated, preventing it to execute in a virtual environment by employing multiple analysis checks. Malware authors also included an execution feature in the malware, preventing it from being executed in certain countries such as Russia, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan. 

According to the Blackberry report, “The malware also has screen-grab abilities, which allow the malware’s operator to remotely capture an image of the victim’s screen. The malware also enables file-grabbing and additional downloading capabilities once connection to its C2 is established.”
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Shitcoin Wallet
Chrome Extension Crypto Wallets Cyber Fraud Google Chrome Shitcoin Wallet

Google Chrome Extension, Shitcoin Wallet found stealing passwords and crypto-wallet keys


MyCrypto platform reported that Shitcoin Wallet, a Google Chrome extension was injecting JavaScript code on web pages, in order to steal passwords and keys from cryptocurrency wallets.


The extension, Shitcoin Wallet, Chrome extension ID: ckkgmccefffnbbalkmbbgebbojjogffn, was launched last month on December 9. With Shitcoin Wallet, users managed their Ether (ETH) coins, and Ethereum ERC20-based tokens -- tokens usually issued for ICOs (initial coin offerings) either from the browser or by installing a desktop app.

Malicious Behavior with the extension

Harry Denley, Director of Security at the MyCrypto platform, discovered that the chrome extension isn't what it promises to be. He found malicious code within the extension. In a blog, ZDNet reported that "According to Denley, the extension is dangerous to users in two ways. First, any funds (ETH coins and ERC0-based tokens) managed directly inside the extension are at risk.
Second, the extension also actively injects malicious JavaScript code when users navigate to five well-known and popular cryptocurrency management platforms. "

 Danley, said that the extension traffics all the keys on its system to a third party website at erc20wallet[.]tk.

 The malicious code works by the following process

1. The user installs the chrome extension Shitcoin Wallet.
2. The extension request permission to inject the malicious JavaScript code to 77 websites.
3. If the user navigates to any of these 77 websites, it injects an additional code.
4. The code activates on five websites: MyEtherWallet.com, Index. Market, Binance.org, NeoTracker.io, and Switcheo.exchange
5. After activation, the code saves the user's login credentials, keys, and other data then siphon it to a third party.

It is not constructively clear yet if the Shitcoin Wallet team is responsible for the malicious behavior or a third party infiltrated the extension. The Shitcoin Wallet team is silent on the allegations and has yet to give any comments on the matter.

Desktop App

Both 32-bit and 64-bit installers are available for the user to download on the extension's official website. VirusTotal, a website that aggregates the virus scanning engines of several antivirus software makers, showed that both versions were clean. But on a warning note, the desktop app may contain the code or something even worse.
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