28 September, 2020
Have you heard of Anubis? This is a malware that targets cryptocurrency wallets and other related sensitive data. It first came into existence after being circulated on markets for sale by dark webs associated with cybercrime.
According to a warning report by Microsoft Security Intelligence, among the data at risk of being stolen are the cryptocurrency wallet IDs, credit card information and system info. This malware is now one of a growing list of other malware that aims at hacking and stealing vulnerable user information from cryptocurrency wallets. To try protecting clients, some institutions, such as Instant Loan, offer investment advice about cryptocurrency to buy to keep your investment intack.
The name refers to the fact that the virus itself is very suspicious-looking – it looks suspiciously like a large, scary worm. It will continually download itself onto your system and will then use your computer as a medium to do a number of malicious things. The infection will then begin to use all of the tools within the malware database to do some pretty nasty things to your computer.
Anubis uses a forked code from Loki, a malware that steals information from Android systems. It is downloaded and used to send stolen information to C2 servers, using an HTTP POST. In return, the post sends sensitive personal information, including login details, such as usernames and passwords that are used in cryptocurrency wallet IDs and credit card information.
Anubis malware is spread through phishing emails that originally sprung into existence with ISO attachments. These emails resembled order confirmations, sent to other public email addresses. As a result, they disengage the login details and financial information when they come into contact with a PC. Here are more tips to avoid Anubis.
- Miners are advised against accessing, downloading or opening any attachments or emails that appear without notifications or recent communication. Hence, any unfamiliar email appearing in your inbox should be deemed dangerous because it could be attached with equally harmful links and codes. To minimize these circumstances, it is best advised to download and install effective antivirus software with up-to-date systems, including virus terminologies.
- When accessing personal cryptocurrency wallets, only carefully selected links should be used, along with browsers that have high standards of privacy. However, Anubis malware has consistently been surviving away from public domains. This means that very little is known about this dangerous malware or its impacts on the cryptocurrency wallets. For, crypto users are inadequately prepared to deal with the malware, let alone identifying it among the many that are currently threatening the security of crypto wallets.
- When you suspect your web accounts being infected, the best action to take is combing through the system in search of any unfamiliar or suspicious files and abnormal system processes. This procedure requires one to use a more powerful browser that is able to check for all malfunctioning of the system without itself falling victim to the same. For instance, Microsoft has come up with an updated Defender antivirus software, aimed at detecting and doing away with any traces of Anubis malware. Similar efforts have been made by Redmond, which is currently tracking any indicators of Anubis malware across major websites.
- Another sign of malware practices in crypto user accounts is a sudden overflow of network traffic from certain devices, such as smartphones, tablets or laptops. The overflow results from a massive amount of data that is illegally accessed in the user accounts.
To minimize the risks of account hacking and information stealing, it is recommended that cryptocurrency miners shun from paying visits to suspicious websites or opening emails that appear to contain unfamiliar links, codes or attachments. Additionally, crypto miners are directed to use Microsoft Edge, the latest browser version that is enabled with a highly protective system in favor of cryptocurrency.
This is aimed at reducing the incidences of availing sensitive information to malware-prone websites, such as names, phone numbers and addresses, which in turn reduces the chances of illegal access and hacking of cryptocurrency wallets. Other signs indicate the presence of malware in a system, usually detected by cyber experts. These indicators include irregular activities on user accounts.
Malware Targeting Cryptocurrency Users
The current increase in the use of technology has made many people with ill motives develop malware that targets to break into the digital wallets of cryptocurrency miners. Initially, this malware was programmed to steal personal user information, including emails and passwords. However, this has changed as the current malware is structured to detect and corrupt all cryptocurrency systems. This is especially common with beginners in crypto mining, due to the insufficient knowledge on the most secure way of storing their seed in anti-hack hardware wallets. In this case, a malware quickly encroaches the browser, hacks through the password manager and steals the sensitive personal data. This is what is currently happening with Anubis malware.
The possible development of cryptocurrency puts user digital wallets at higher risks of being hacked as compared to traditional bank accounts and credit cards. This could be facilitated by the probable mass use of cryptocurrency in all forms of payments, resulting in general laxity and poor end-user security practices. The developers of dangerous are on the prowl to hack into the accounts of novice crypto miners due to increased interest in digital coins, such as Bitcoin. In the process, the attackers are likely to employ the technique of checking for any vulnerable files on the blockchain nodes. Since these attackers are tech wizards, they simply use keyloggers to detect and crack the passwords, access user accounts and steal personal information.
The current technological advancements have seen the introduction of digital modes of transactions and investment in cryptocurrency. This has enabled many people to make and receive payments, as well as invest in digital currencies. However, this has facilitated the development of several other dangerous software in the name of malware, structured to break into and access personal information of cryptocurrency miners. The current form of malware, Anubis, has been identified to steal sensitive information from cryptocurrency wallets with little knowledge of account users. To avoid this harm, stay clear of any suspicious files and emails that may contain dangerous links, codes, or attachments.
