Threats for cryptocurrency investors: Beware of two new softwares able to steal cryptocurrencies

Two new threats for crypto investors able to steal cryptocurrencies through desktop devices are circulating on the Internet, specifically the MortalKombat ransomware and the Laplas Clipper malware.

The threat intelligence research team Cisco Talos conducted extensive research in this regard. They found out that the victims of the attacks are mainly located in the UK, Turkey, and the Philippines. They were also able to reveal the method the scammers use.

Threads of malware for business

The malicious software cooperates and aims to discover the information stored in the user's device clipboard, which is usually a string of letters and numbers copied by the user. The infection can detect the wallet addresses copied into the clipboard and replaces them with new addresses owned by scammers.

The scam occurs due to the lack of attention of the user, who does not pay attention to the sender’s wallet address and sends the cryptocurrencies to the scammers' addresses. Victims of these scams are individuals but also organizations.

Also, Malwarebytes, one of the best-known and most popular software that helps secure computers by finding and removing malware, exploits, and ransomware, has taken care of the issue.
Malwarebytes has tried to shed some light on this topic for users and explained how the attack occurs. The attack starts with a cryptocurrency-themed email that contains a BAT file. Once this file settles on users' computers, it begins its function of changing the e-wallet addresses saved on the clipboard.

A technique that may appear challenging to apply but that is very sneaky and has caused thousands of dollars of theft, and looking at Chainalysis statistics, we can see that from 2017 to 2022, there were cryptocurrency thefts for a total of $2.251M, truly frightening numbers that raise legitimate questions: Are we sure that the crypto world is safe? At the moment, it seems we have to watch our backs and take precautions when conducting transactions with cryptos.