Crackonosh Malware Enslaves Computers to Mine for Monero

Even though the prices of cryptocurrencies fell significantly over the past two months, cybercriminals are still relying on cryptojacking campaigns and malware to maximize their profits. Recently, a new report about such a malicious implant was published online. It mentions a threat called the Crackonosh Malware, which may be active on over 200,000 computers. The owners of these systems have no clue what is happening behind their backs.

Crackonosh Malware Exploits Systems to Mine for Monero

The Crackonosh Malware focuses on harvesting the infected system's hardware resources to mine for the Monero (XMR) cryptocurrency. What is important to know about the Crackonosh Malware is that it is by no means a new project. Its operators have been using it for over two years and have been working very hard to keep its shady operations under the radar. Allegedly, the attackers have made over $2 million worth of Monero during the ongoing attack.

One of the reasons why the Crackonosh Malware attack is difficult to spot is because the changes to the system are minimal. The only issue users will experience is abnormally high CPU usage, causing problems when running heavy software and games. The latter happens because the Crackonosh Malware makes sure that its cryptocurrency miner has top priority when it comes to distributing CPU resources. In short, the symptoms and potential consequences of the Crackonosh Malware attack are the following:

• High CPU usage.
• Reduces performance of the system, especially noticeable when using heavy software or games.
• Because of the constant load on the CPU, it may operate under higher temperatures. This hides additional risks if the CPU cooler is not well-maintained.
• The higher CPU load and temperatures may shorten the lifespan of the system processor.

Needless to say, you do not want to allow malicious software to exploit your CPU to generate profit for others. The best way to keep your computer safe is to use an up-to-date antivirus tool, as well as to be careful with the online content that you interact with. In the case of the Crackonosh Malware, the majority of the samples were delivered to victims through pirated downloads of popular games and software suites.