Cryptojacking Attacks Skyrocketed 399%!

• Cybercriminals resort to cryptojacking servers/devices remotely to mine

  cryptocurrency

  and bitcoin without owners knowledge, with attacks rising by 399% globally in the past year.

• Increased law enforcement activity and heavy sanctions have led to cybercriminals pivoting to this more discrete method.

• The global increase of 399% in cryptojacking attacks has resulted in a greater accumulation of bitcoin by cybercriminals and nation-states.

Cybercriminals have recently shifted their focus to remotely hacking servers and devices in order to mine cryptocurrencies and bitcoin without the owners knowledge, a practice known as cryptojacking.

According to a report by SonicWall, these attacks have seen a global increase of 399% over the past year. This trend has become the new modus operandi for hackers, who are increasingly resorting to cryptojacking as a way to avoid the need for ransoms, according to Spencer Starkey, SonicWall EMEA vice president.

The data suggests that cybercriminals have pivoted to this more discreet method due to increased law enforcement activity and heavy sanctions. SonicWall CEO Bob VanKirk warns that the seemingly endless digital assault on enterprises, governments, and global citizens is intensifying, and the threat landscape continues to expand. Threat actors are relentless and opportunistic, targeting schools, state and local governments, and retail organizations at unprecedented rates.

This global increase of 399% in cryptojacking attacks has resulted in a greater accumulation of bitcoin by cybercriminals and nation-states, according to Starkey. In the UK, these types of attacks have risen 479% in the past year. In the US, there were 214 million attacks in 2023 alone, which represents an increase of 340%. It is worth noting that these attacks are not limited to a specific type of organization, and can affect enterprises, cities, airlines, and even schools.

How do I protect myself from cryptojacking？

Whether you‘ve been cryptojacked locally on your system, or through the browser, it can be difficult to manually detect the intrusion after the fact. Likewise, finding the origin of the high CPU usage can be difficult. Processes might be hiding themselves or masking as something legitimate in order to hinder you from stopping the abuse. As a bonus to the cryptojackers, when your computer is running at maximum capacity, it will run ultra slow, and therefore be harder to troubleshoot. As with all other malware precautions, it’s much better to install security before you become a victim.

One obvious option is to block JavaScript in the browser that you use to surf the web. Although that interrupts the drive-by cryptojacking, this could likewise block you from using functions that you like and need. There are also specialized programs, such as “No Coin” and “MinerBlock,” which block mining activities in popular browsers. Both have extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Opera. Operas latest versions even have NoCoin built in.

“Whether attackers try to use malware, a browser-based drive-by download, or a Trojan, youre protected against cryptojacking.”

However, our suggestion is to avoid a purpose-built solution and look for a more comprehensive cybersecurity program. Malwarebytes Premium, for example, protects you from more than just cryptojacking. It also prevents malware, ransomware, and many other online threats. Whether attackers try to use malware, a browser-based drive-by download, or a Trojan (like Emotet), youre protected against cryptojacking.

In a threat landscape that‘s constantly morphing, staying safe from the latest menaces like cryptojacking is a full-time job. With Malwarebytes Premium, you’ll have the means to detect and clean up any kind of intrusion and ensure your computer resources remain yours alone.