Trend Micro, a Japanese company that makes security software, announced through a publication on August 7 that Bitcoin ATM (ATM) malware is available for sale on the well-known Deep Web.
In the document, the company explains that for the sum of 25,000 USD, any criminal can buy the Bitcoin malware for ATMs accompanied by a ready-to-use card with EMV and near-field (NFC) communication capabilities.
EMV chips were originally developed by major credit card providers to store data in integrated circuits instead of magnetic strips, while NFC allows two electronic devices to exchange information wirelessly.
As far as he knows, malicious software exploits a vulnerability of Bitcoin ATMs, which allows scammers to receive the BTC equivalent of up to US $ 6,750, euros or pounds. According to Trend Micro, the seller has received more than 100 reviews online for both malware and other products.
The publication of the blog cites that the origin of the information is a forum of the same Deep web, and this also indicates that you can buy malware for common ATMs updated to the standards of EMV.
Subsequent investigations revealed that the malware exploits a menu vulnerability to disconnect an ATM from the network in order to deactivate the alarms. In conclusion, Trend Micro suggested:
"As long as there is money to be made, and there is enough money in cryptocurrencies, cybercriminals will continue to devise tools and expand into new lucrative 'markets'. As the number of Bitcoin ATMs grows, we can expect to see more forms of malware targeting criptocajeros in the future. "
According to CoinTelegraph, another recent study conducted by the cyber security company Duo Security revealed a network of thousands of scam bots related to the ecosystem on Twitter, advertising fake "gifts".
This project involved 88 million Twitter accounts, with researchers using machine learning techniques to train a bot sorter. The classifier unearthed 15,000 robots spreading fake competitions and embodying some of the best-known figures and businesses in the cryptocurrency industry.
Last month, Valve Corporation eliminated a game from its Steam market because the software allegedly hijacked users' computers to undermine Monero. Steam took action following the complaints of several users who said that the game's configuration file seemed to include a Trojan virus and a malware disguised as steam.exe processes and launch program.
Unfortunately, the advancement of technology is not something that its access is limited specifically to those users who use it responsibly. As the field progresses, the criminals also do so, and as a result they bring about this type of consequences. This is so common that we have seen it in different scenarios, and it is always the same, every time something is resolved, something else arises instead.
One of humanity's greatest challenges ahead is to limit the use of high technology to users that do not represent a risk to the different ecosystems that exist. This type of actions hinder the evolution and growth of technological fields throughout the world, and that is why industries must overcome this.
Source: CoinTelegraph