NSA 'DoubleStar' Backdoor Blamed for Cryptocurrency Mining Malware
A type of cryptocurrency mining malware has spread due to an exploit developed by the US National Security Agency.
Jun 21, 2017 at 5:30 p.m. UTC
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A type of cryptocurrency mining malware has spread due to an exploit developed by the US National Security Agency, cybersecurity researchers say.
According to Dr.Web, a Russian anti-virus vendor, the NSA's "DoublePulsar" backdoor – which was leaked earlier this year by a group called the Shadow Brokers – allows the entry of a Trojan program that installs software to secretly mine the privacy-oriented digital currency monero.
In a 15th June blog post, Dr.Web laid out the nuts and bolts of the malware, noting:
It's not immediately clear how many machines have been infected with the malware due to the NSA exploit, and a representative for the company wasn't immediately available to comment when reached.
Wired reported in April that tens of thousands of machine were impacted following the exploit's release.
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DoublePulsar has also been identified as a factor in the recent "WannaCry" ransomware attacks, which impacted hundreds of thousands of computers across the globe.
Image via Shutterstock
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