Pickr
  • Latest News & Reviews
  • Recommendations
  • Phones
  • Earphones
  • Sound
  • The Wrap
No Result
View All Result
Pickr
  • Latest News & Reviews
  • Recommendations
  • Phones
  • Earphones
  • Sound
  • The Wrap
No Result
View All Result
Pickr
No Result
View All Result

Malware targets cryptocurrency wallets to nab money online

Leigh :) StarkbyLeigh :) Stark
June 23, 2021
Reading Time: 2 mins read
Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare over email

There’s a new type of security threat lurking, and it’s not just after your bank account or ID: it wants a digital wallet if you have one.

Anyone keen to spend a bit of physical coin to hold onto some of the digital equivalent might want to watch out, because there’s a new type of security threat out there, and it has your digital wallet firmly in mind.

You’ve probably seen security threats aplenty, and it feels lately that we’re reporting on one weekly, so you probably won’t be shocked to learn that cyber criminals are targeting an area where people are throwing in money big time: cryptocurrency.

While you might be keen on holding onto digital money in a digital piggy bank, scammers are targeting those interested in finance with numerous scams, looking to cash in big on anyone caught in their web. It’s become such a big deal that financial and investment scams are already seeing big numbers at Scamwatch’s scam list for 2021, and now the cryptocurrency threats are coming another way, with malware looking to steal assets.

It means folks looking to trade in various digital currencies may want to watch what they download very carefully, with researchers at Avast finding a form of malware called “HackBoss” which looks for the digital wallets cryptocurrency owners may have when they’re copied to a clipboard during a transfer. When one is picked up, HackBoss replaces the wallet code with a different wallet code, which then sees the digital currency transferred to the owner of the malware and not the original owner.

This new take on malware isn’t limited to a handful of criminals, either, with Avast picking up on over 100 wallet addresses owned by authors of the malware, grabbing all sorts of digital currency, including bitcoin, dogecoin, ethereum, and others.

HackBoss isn’t the only form of crypto scare out there, mind you, with fake apps built to trick you to invest also a danger out in the open.

Both are examples of the ways cybercriminals will go to lengths to get you to hand over your money, and means you may just need to be ever more attentive, and make sure you have some form of security on your devices, as well.

Leigh :) Stark

Leigh :) Stark

One of Australia's well regarded technology journalists working out of Sydney, Leigh Stark has been writing about technology for over 15 years, covering phones, computers, cameras, headphones, speakers, and more. Stylising his middle initial with an emoticon, he aims to present tech in a way that makes it easy for everyone. While he founded Pickr in 2016, Stark's work can be seen in other publications including The Australian Financial Review, Popular Science, and many more. His award-winning podcast "The Wrap" is syndicated on Southern Cross Austereo's LiSTNR network weekly, while he can be heard on radio via ABC Brisbane and ABC Canberra, and seen on TV's Nine. Check out Leigh Stark's most recent media appearances.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

Scammers try a dark approach with coronavirus vaccine scams
Security

Google Drive goes on defence with anti-malware, anti-phishing

May 17, 2022
How chatbot scams work
Online

Why passwords are problematic, but why we have trouble moving on

May 5, 2022
What is stalkerware?
How to

How an NBN scam can appear convincing (and why it’s not)

February 28, 2022
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Recommendations
  • Best Picks
  • Methodology
  • About
  • Media Appearances
  • Contact
Change the way you choose.

© 2016 to 2022 Publishr Pty Ltd: ACN 624 227 256
All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Latest News & Reviews
  • Recommendations
  • Phones
  • Earphones
  • Sound
  • The Wrap

© 2016 to 2022 Publishr Pty Ltd: ACN 624 227 256
All rights reserved.