Facebook Messenger is currently targeted to spread and run Digmine Crypocurrency Mining Malware
Cryptocurrency is not something new. It has been around for a while now. Various forms are in circulation like Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, Monero, Dash, Ripple, Zcash just to name a few.
With its volatile yet booming value, it has become a prime target for hackers and alike to formulate ways and schemes to trick unsuspecting regular web users to do the mining for them. The latest trend is trying to take advantage of Facebook Messenger by spreading mining malware.
Basically, the malware that has been going around via Facebook Messenger is targeting Monero which is one of the cryptocurrencies listed above. It has been dubbed as Digmine by Trend Micro researchers and it also has the capability of taking over a Facebook account. It modus operandi is to disguise itself to look like a video file is being shared via Facebook Messenger. The picture above is a graphical representation of how it works.
There is a little known niche target on how it is being spread. Basically the only way this malware can spread is if the user is using Google Chrome on a regular computer and by chance that the victim opens the supposed video file. Other than this scenario, the malware will not infect the device since it is platform specific.
However, if it meets this requirement, the computer gets infected and the malware can give the hackers control of your account and in turn compromising your computing speed thus giving them the ability to target people on your friends list.
“If the user’s Facebook account is set to log in automatically, Digmine will manipulate Facebook Messenger in order to send a link to the file to the account’s friends,” the researchers said. “The abuse of Facebook is limited to propagation for now, but it wouldn’t be implausible for attackers to hijack the Facebook account itself down the line.”
Because of the rising value of cryptocurrency and malware having the capability of running silent mining software on a victims computer, this will become more common as the days go by.
They will become bolder with their attempts to connect via all platforms available to harness every computing power they can. Even smartphones are not safe from it. Some Android users have been enslaved by the Coinhive Monero mining malware that has proliferated Google Play recently. It has even been reported that video streamers have unwittingly been mining cryptocurrency.
Efforts to prevent this from happening is on its way. However, as of this writing web browser Opera version 50.0 has been confirmed to have increased and beefed up its own security to help in preventing Monero cryptojacking and other activities.
