Kaspersky: Cryptocurrency mining attacks sharply decline in 2019, but ransomware is on the rise.

The antivirus company Kaspersky recently released a research report indicating that mining attacks are no longer popular, as hackers are gradually shifting their focus to more profitable methods such as malicious ransomware.

Kaspersky Lab has pointed out that the infection rate of malicious mining programs has decreased by 59% compared to the same period last year, dropping from 5.6 million to 2.2 million computers.

According to a report, although malicious mining programs have cooled off slightly, malware like Trojans, Script.Miner.gen, and JS.Miner.m are still on the top 20 threat list. These applications force users' computers to mine cryptocurrency, cripple the computer, and steal power.

Kaspersky security analyst Denis Parinov commented on the trend this year:

We have observed a slight decrease in attacks on ordinary home users, but the number of infections with cryptographic ransomware in public cases is increasing, as seen in the recent New Orleans ransomware attack.

Parinov believes that hackers who previously focused on mining attacks are shifting towards more profitable opportunities. Vyacheslav Zakorzhevsky, head of the organization's anti-malware research, also emphasized in a statement:

Due to reduced profits, the struggle between cryptocurrency miners and mining attacks, malicious mining programs are no longer popular.

The company found that although cryptocurrency mining attacks have decreased, malicious ransomware is on the rise. Parinov stated:

Malicious mining programs and operators of cryptographic ransomware are still in the game, but their focus seems to have shifted to targeted attacks.

Parinov warned that mining attacks still exist, and users should remain vigilant, noting any abnormal network activity or decrease in computer performance. He pointed out:

The main symptoms are a decrease in overall computer or process performance, with the computer possibly experiencing crashes or error codes. In addition, cryptocurrency mining requires specific network interactions, but these activities may be difficult for ordinary computer users to detect.

Further Reading

• Inventory of the top ten influencers in the cryptocurrency industry in 2019
• Blockchain investigative agency: HitBTC is a "wolf in sheep's clothing"

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