Crypto Corner

Hey there Webroot Community,We are back with another series of informational posts on the topic of Cryptocurrency! The world of cryptocurrency is still an enigma to most people, and we’d like to do our part to clear up some of the confusion. There are a few things that new crypto users struggle with in regard to its usage, storage, and prevention of being scammed. In this installment of the crypto series, these are the topics we will be covering:1)    Storage2)    How to use safely3)    Infamous “crypto exchange mishaps” 4)    Pros vs. cons of crypto and blockchain tech StorageLearning how to securely store your cryptocurrency is the most important process to learn before jumping into this new world. First, it’s important that you learn the difference between a “public” and a “private” key. Public key:Think of this as your PO box address that you g

Cybercriminals are constantly experimenting with new ways to take money from their victims. Their tactics evolve quickly to maximize returns and minimize risk. The emergence of cryptocurrency has opened up new opportunities to do just that. To better understand today’s threat landscape, it’s worth exploring the origins of cryptocurrencies and the progress cybercriminals have made in using it to advance their own interests. The FBI screen lockSource: @DavidSGingras on TwitterMany readers may remember the infamous FBI lock malware that would pop up and prevent users from using their computer at startup. The malware presented the (false) claim that the victim had downloaded copy

https://www.buzzsprout.com/762053/9534086Take a listen here! The accelerated demand for bitcoin has provided cybercriminals with a new playground. It’s untraceable, making it perfect for extortion and impersonation. In fact, reported by CBS News, Americans have lost more than $80 million in cryptocurrency investment scams since October, which represents a 1,000% increase from the fall of 2019, according to FTC data. This podcast explores this attack vector and the common methods and scams, including modern mining malware such as LemonDuck and LemonCat.

A (Not Really) Brief History of Bitcoin and Monero Note: this is the first installment in a 3-part post. Bitcoin turned 10 years old this year and it’s only getting more and more exposure. Having invented the revolutionary internet technology known as “Blockchain”, Bitcoin has only been gaining hype ever since the first genesis block was mined into existence. At first, it started out is just a joke of an idea and websites would give bitcoins away for free just for visiting. This was back when the currency itself was worth next to nothing. That all changed with the advent of Silk Road, an underground market on the encrypted dark web for buying and selling goods otherwise illegal or extremely difficult to purchase in most countries. The site’s buyers and sellers remained effectively anonymous to one another and were almost impossible to track. It’s usually criminals and hackers that test and prove the utility of new technologies be

Note: this is the third installment in a 3-part post. If you haven’t already, read part 1 and part 2. 2018 was a brutal year for Bitcoin and subsequently all other altcoins utilizing blockchain technology. The start of 2018 had Bitcoin around $17,000; by the end of 2018 it had dropped to around $3,800. Not only was this devastating for investors, but cybercriminals also took a major financial hit (your heart weeps for them, I know.) What’s interesting is that we also saw major decline with cryptomining attacks as the price decreased, presumably because the attacks were no longer as profitable. In late February ($3700), Coinhive abruptly announce

The Rise of Mining Attacks Note: this is the second installment in a 3-part post. Read part 1 here. Monero—a cryptocurrency like Bitcoin, but without a public ledger—is basically at the center of all of today’s cryptomining threats. In fact it’s been estimated that over 85% of all illicit mining is on the Monero blockchain. Most of these attacks utilize an open source miner called XMRig and will use exploits to gain credentials and spread laterally throughout the network. They do this using the Shadow Broker exploits you probably already heard of during the famous WannaCry ransomware outbreak in 2017. The core idea is very simple: infect a victim with a legitimate, benign miner executable. Run the miner without the victim’s knowledge for as long as possible and m