Crypto miners are a much more common security threat for companies than cyber-attacks attempting to steal data, according to a report by Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.
Instead of stealing data through ransomware, crypto miners surreptitiously steal bandwidth from unsuspecting companies to mine cryptocurrency for profit.
The report found that crypto miners hit 10 times more organisations than ransomware in 2018, while only one in five IT professionals were aware of the infections.
Some 37% of organisations globally were hit by crypto miners in 2018, and 20% continue to be hit every week despite an 80% fall in cryptocurrency values.
The report also showed a rise in easy-to-use ransomware services. Ransomware is a malicious software that steals a person's or organisation's data and then threatens to publish it unless a ransom is paid.
The GandCrab ransomware-as-a-service affiliate program lets amateurs use the service to enter the extortion racket. Users keep 60% of the profit from ransoms while sharing the remaining 40% with GandCrab. Within two months in 2018, GandCrab infected more than 50,000 people and made between US$300,000 and $600,000 in ransoms.
"The second instalment of our 2019 Security Report shows how cybercriminals are successfully exploring stealthy new approaches and business models, such as malware affiliate programs, to maximise their illegal revenues while reducing their risk of detection," said Peter Alexander, chief marketing officer of Check Point. "But out of sight shouldn't mean out of mind: even though cyber-attacks during 2018 have been lower-profile, they are still damaging and dangerous.
"By reviewing and highlighting these developments in the report, organisations can get a better understanding of the threats they face, and how they prevent them impacting on their business."
