The skyrocketing value of bitcoin and Ethereum has certainly has given cyber-criminals one more good reason to focus their efforts in this area.
The skyrocketing value of bitcoin and Ethereum may not be the sole reason behind the recent uptick in cyber-crimes focused on stealing cryptocurrencies, but industry analysts note that it certainly has given cyber-criminals one more good reason to focus their efforts in this area.
In the last week Forcepoint reported the Trickbot banking trojan is now targeting cryptocurrencies, meanwhile the privacy advice and security comparison website Comparitech.com revealed a phishing scam aimed at scamming bitcoin from novice bitcoin users. In addition, a South Korean bitcoin exchange was hit, possibly by North Korean hackers.
Bitcoin is currently valued at over $5000, but so far this year its value has increased more than 380 percent and the Ethyrium’s is up 4,000 percent making each a worthwhile target. The fact that these funds can be harvested digitally has always made them a target for attack, or mining, but the higher their value the more interest will be garnered.
This article originally appeared at scmagazineuk.com
