US and UK intelligence agencies warn of new crypto malware, report reveals

An advisory released by government agencies in the United States and United Kingdom warns users to be wary of new malware being used to target cryptocurrency wallets and exchanges. .

The US National Security Agency (NSA), the Cyber ​​Security and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the UK National Cyber ​​Security Center (NCSC) are part of the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQQ). ) collaborated to publish a Report Set about malware known as “Infamous Chisel”.

According to the report, the malware is linked to the activities of Sandworm, a cyber warfare unit working under Russia’s military intelligence agency GRU. The joint report also noted that Sandworm targets the Ukrainian military’s Android devices using new malware to extract information from compromised mobile devices.

The report noted that some of the data extracted by the malware included data from the directories of the Binance and Coinbase exchange apps and the Trust Wallet app. According to the documentation, all files in the listed directories are ejected regardless of type.

The joint report also noted that elements of the popular chisel were developed with little regard for “masking malicious activity.” Malware lacks stealth techniques to hide its operations. However, the report says this could be due to the lack of host-based detection systems for Android devices.

However, in 2023 almost $1 billion was lost due to exploits, hacks and fraud. On September 1st, Blockchain security firm CertiK reported a year-to-date loss of around $997 million. In August alone, such attacks cost an estimated $45 million. Despite the amount, losses were significantly lower than the previous month. In July, more than $486 million in digital assets were lost to malicious attacks.