Cryptocurrency Mining on Russian Smart Homes Through Hacker Exploits: Report Reveals

Cybercriminals are taking advantage of weaknesses in Russian smart homes to establish botnets, employing the compromised devices for mining cryptocurrency and initiating distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.

According to a TASS report that cites a Russian law enforcement agency, hackers are exploiting vulnerabilities in Russian smart homes to mine cryptocurrencies and launch cyber attacks. A report from March 24 reveals that cybercriminals are seizing control of smart home devices to create botnets for these purposes.

Although the scale of the attack and its duration remain uncertain, the law enforcement agency also mentioned that hackers could utilize the system for surveillance purposes. They might access footage from security cameras or collect data from smart toothbrushes and temperature sensors to monitor whether the homeowner is present, the agency stated. However, it did not provide information on which devices are vulnerable or the specific methods used in the attacks.

Criminals have been known to employ various strategies to illegally acquire cryptocurrency. In 2022, crypto.news reported on a new approach involving the concealment of malware within downloadable movie files, specifically targeting torrent users.

The malware activates a PowerShell command that embeds harmful code into the Firefox browser. Its primary objective is to steal Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) addresses, swapping them with the hacker's wallet. The malware is also employed for mining cryptocurrency and manipulating Google results, and it attempts to redirect Wikipedia donations as well.