KingMiner Cryptojacking
The KingMiner Cryptojacking is a malware tactic that seems to target Microsoft IIS/SQL server mostly. Typically, the criminals use brute force attacks to compromise the victim's computer and carry out the KingMiner Cryptojacking tactic. Malware associated with the KingMiner Cryptojacking was first seen in June 2018 and has since been delivered in a couple of new versions. The KingMiner Cryptojacking attack itself is not difficult to understand, and it involves hijacking the infected computer's resources to mine digital currency. PC security researchers have observed multiple versions of the KingMiner Cryptojacking since it was first discovered in June 2018, and have been able to follow the development of the malware used in the KingMiner Cryptojacking attack. The KingMiner Cryptojacking uses XMRig, like many crypto jacking tactics, a cryptocurrency miner used to mine Monero on the victim's computer. The mining of Monero or any other cryptocurrency is not an illicit activity. However, the KingMiner Cryptojacking attack is designed to take over the victim's computer and leech its resources, such as CPU processing and memory, to mine this digital currency.
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Some Details about the KingMiner Cryptojacking Tactic
Criminals have modified the XMRig to carry out tactics like the KingMiner Cryptojacking. Typically, the criminals will take advantage of poor password protection and security to install the malware used for the KingMiner Cryptojacking on the targeted server. Once it is installed, the KingMiner Cryptojacking will begin, using the infected compute's resources almost entirely to mine Monero, to the detriment of any other operations being carried out by the infected computer. One aspect that makes the KingMiner Cryptojacking so effective is the fact that the KingMiner Cryptojacking has several advanced mechanisms to avoid detection and evade known security software and other preventive measures.
How the KingMiner Cryptojacking Attack is Carried Out
Once the criminals have gained access to the targeted computer, they will drop the KingMiner Cryptojacking malware in the form of an XML payload, which will then deliver a ZIP file. This ZIP file contains the KingMiner Cryptojacking's executable and the configuration settings, as well as various resource files. However, criminals will rarely create crypto jacking threats that use 100% of the infected computer's processing since their presence would be detected due to the disruption they would cause on the infected PC immediately. It is clear that the KingMiner Cryptojacking was intended not to use more than 75% of the infected computer system's processing power originally. However, due to poor coding, the KingMiner Cryptojacking will often take up to 100% of the infected computer's resources during its attack.
Obfuscation Techniques and the Detection of the KingMiner Cryptojacking
The KingMiner Cryptojacking is difficult to detect because of various evasion techniques associated with the KingMiner Cryptojacking attack. Some examples of this include the way in which the KingMiner Cryptojacking hides the file type in which it is contained, the way its memory process is extracted and runs on the infected computer, and the encryption used in the KingMiner Cryptojacking's resource packs. Unfortunately, the KingMiner Cryptojacking tactics have spread all around the world. The servers compromised by the KingMiner Cryptojacking tactics are located in Peru, Mexico, Israel, India, Malaysia, and Sweden, and it is very likely that the KingMiner Cryptojacking tactics have spread further. Therefore, server administrators should check their devices frequently and perform thorough scans of their files to ensure that no malware has been installed. It is also necessary to check all network connections in search of any nonauthorized connections or traffic out of the ordinary that may point to the possibility of a KingMiner Cryptojacking tactic. Since this tactic will often use a large percentage of the infected device's resources, any symptoms (such as running slowly or instability) should cause the administrators to suspect the presence of a crypto jacking tactic such as the KingMiner Cryptojacking.
