During the period spanning March to May, BlackBerry's cybersecurity division thwarted over 1.5 million cyberattacks and discovered a malware family actively engaged in attempting to compromise computers for the purpose of mining or pilfering cryptocurrencies.
The sectors most impacted by these cyberattacks, as outlined in the BlackBerry report, include finance, healthcare, and government. A persistent financial threat, RedLine, has been tasked with collecting cryptocurrencies and banking data. Another menace, Clop ran somware, a variant of the CryptoMix ransomware family, focuses on targeting financial institutions, and its activities led to a data breach at Hatch Bank.
BlackBerry's list of the most prevalent malware families highlights SmokeLoader, RaccoonStealer (also referred to as RecordBreaker), and Vidar. SmokeLoader, one of the oldest financial rogue tools since 2011, is primarily utilized by Russian threat actors for loading cryptocurrency miners among other forms of malware. RaccoonStealer, sold on the dark web, has been used for stealing cryptocurrency wallet data. Vidar, extensively employed for gathering cryptocurrency wallets, also features prominently.
Linux, a widely used operating system, emerges as a primary target for hackers who exploit it to mine cryptocurrencies using the hijacked computer resources. BlackBerry strongly recommends that organizations regularly apply security patches, particularly to Linux. A fresh in fo-stealer termed Atomic macOS focuses on macOS users, especially in the extraction of credentials from keychains, browsers, and encrypted wallets.
OpenAI, known for creating AI-powered technologies like ChatGPT and Dall-e, recently introduced a $1 million cybersecurity grant initiative. This program aims to amplify and evaluate the impact of AI-driven cybersecurity technologies. OpenAI's mission is to bolster the cyber security capabilities of defenders through grants and additional support.
