March 22, 2018
‘Crypto-jacking’: Bitcoin rise prompts hackers to ditch ransomware for mining fraud
shaoran2012© Kacper Pempel / Reuters As bitcoin soared to the $20,000 mark last year, cyber-criminals increasingly turned their attention to cryptocurrency users. ‘Cryto-jacking’ cases catapulted in 2017 as cryptocurrency prices rose, according to new research. The sky-rocketing value of some cryptocurrencies in 2017 apparently prompted hackers to move away from tried and tested ransomware as a source of extortion and direct their attention towards crypto-jacking. Hacking incidents known as ‘crypto-jacking’ jumped 8,500 percent over the year, according to IT security firm Symantec. READ MORE: Bitcoin soars above historic $20,000 mark Crypto-jacking […]