Audio files infected with dangerous Monero mining malware are spreading around

Malicious audio files are spreading around that contain Monero mining malware.

Monero mining malware

Monero mining malware was found on several audio files according to a report by cybersecurity firm BlackBeryy Cylance. The report states that hackers are employing steganography to attack unsuspecting users. Steganography is the phenomenon in which one item is concealed within the other similar to the Trojan horse.

The hacking method involves hiding malicious code inside a WAV audio file to pass it through conventional detection methods. The report revealed that these WAV files contain loader components that decode and execute harmful content inside the audio files. The attacks are not restricted to WAV files as the report states detecting JPEG and PNG files with malware.

Monero mining malware in audio files

Some malware attackers have embedded XMRig with the audio files. XMRig is a mining malware that is used to mine Monero (XMR).

Hackers have been using and attacking cryptocurrencies frequently for quite a long time. However, it can be said without a single doubt that Monero is loved by hackers the most. The privacy-focused Monero allows users to trade without any trace and has built several features to secure privacy. Previously hackers used to attack Bitcoin due to its monetary value, but tracking trades on Bitcoin has become easy, and hence, hackers have turned to Monero.

Although hacking activity has been relatively low, the hacking culture was revived by Black Squid. Black Squid created several methods of hacking into computer systems. The malware made use of anti-virtualization, anti-sandboxing, and anti-debugging to disarm any tools that might warn the victim about the presence of malware.

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