According to a study by Troy Kent, the researcher at Awake University, mining software can be used not only to mine cryptocurrencies but also to steal corporate secrets.
Kent stated that he doesn't know whether hackers already use this technique, or they have not discovered it yet. In any case, the threat exists, and the researcher called on the management of companies to be vigilant and recommended that they introduce more precautionary measures based on behavior and analytics.
"With this attack, people are using a tool, a crypto miner that they're used to seeing on their network. But they're not used to responding to it as though it is a legitimate threat, like a botnet or a Trojan. They can come in and they can steal files, they can steal intellectual property, they can steal credentials and then log in as maybe the CEO. Or they can download more software. They can bring down services."
According to Kent, the attack begins as cryptojacking — introducing the virus onto the victim's computer for hidden mining. Because of this, companies may not notice the attack, or they may define a low priority for this threat. This is where the main danger lies: an attacker using this “cover” can steal files, intellectual property, download additional software or even completely seize control of devices.
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