Cisco researchers show the latest attack methods for cryptocurrencies at Black Hat conference

With the continuous development of blockchain technology, various cryptocurrencies on the Internet have sprung up, and the rise of cryptocurrencies has provided many cybercriminals with more opportunities.
Security researchers from Cisco said at the hacking conference on Wednesday that the two new types of attack methods, cryptocurrency phishing, and cryptocurrency hijacking, are the methods that cybercriminals use more frequently. The so-called password phishing refers to attackers. Send phishing emails to target users or copy cryptocurrency transactions to create phishing websites and steal user cryptocurrencies. Password hijacking refers to the attacker using the infected target host to achieve mining.
cryptocurrencies Black Hat
In ransomware activities, an attacker uses ransomware to infect a target user’s host and encrypt the data to prevent or restrict the target user from accessing their data resources until the victim pays the ransom. In the past two years of ransomware activities, cybercriminals have always used cryptocurrency as the preferred method for target users to pay the ransom.
Artisom Holub, a senior security analyst at Cisco, said that as security products continue to increase their defenses against ransomware, cybercriminals are experimenting with new attack vectors for cryptocurrencies. Now, many cybercriminals use Google Ads to trick individual users into visiting their phishing sites, which are carefully crafted and look almost like legitimate cryptocurrency trading sites (such as Binance.com or Blockchain.info). ) The same, except that the website address will be a little different.
When the target user visits the phishing website they built, the cybercriminals will be able to steal the login credentials of the target user, and then they can use the collected credential information to take the cryptocurrency. Researchers say that the security risks faced by individual users and small businesses that accept cryptocurrencies are very high. For example, many start-ups often do not have very sophisticated network protection mechanisms, let alone individual users.
Austin McBride, a senior threat analyst at Cisco, said that cybercriminals often use cryptocurrency phishing and cryptocurrency hijacking methods, and with the increasing use of cryptocurrencies, such attacks occur. The number of times will become more frequent. Also, cybercriminals often choose less-known cryptocurrencies as their primary target, such as ALT coins. After stealing these lesser-known cryptocurrencies, cybercriminals use them to exchange popular cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin on the trading platform.
About 300 network security companies are participating in the Black Hat Hacking Conference, and Cisco is one of them. This year, this annual global hacking conference attracted more than 17,000 cybersecurity industry practitioners to Las Vegas for six-day training and presentation, and the content of the meeting can provide the entire security community with The latest cybersecurity threat response.