Cyber Attacks Targeting Crypto Mining Continue to Infect Hundreds of Thousands of Devices

Colleagues, 2018 has seen the meteoric rise in cyber-attacks focusing on crypto mining applications. Thus, it is no surprise that over 170,000 consumer devices in Brazil which operate under MicroTik routers were infected with Coinhive mining software. Both SkyBox and Trustwave security firms affirms such attacks. We reported earlier this week that some 32% of cyber-attacks now involve crypto mining which far outweighs the relatively modest 8% of ransomware attacks. The weakest link in the crypto ecosystem appears to be network routers. Our previous post cited Cisco routers. Now MicroTik is also on the target list. Bottom line: Whether corporate or service provider networks, router hygiene is of utmost importance. Keeping all security software and patches up-to-date has become more critical than ever. We recommend that IT professionals managing routers increase their vigilance by:  A) Tracking security threats, and B) Maintaining security software. Each router vendor maintain security threat alerts and mitigation tactics on their web sites. Bottom line: The cyber threat against network routers by nefarious crypto miners is likely to get much worse until vendors can make a quantum leap forward in their security measures. Share your comments today! Lawrence – Cryptocurrency Academy (https://cryptocurrencyacademy.blogspot.com/)