New BHUNT malware targets cryptocurrency wallets via software installs – – Crypto News

Bitdefender, a cybersecurity and antivirus company, has discovered BHUNT, a new type of malware that targets cryptocurrency wallets via software installations. The malware works in addition to installations of unsecured or cracked software already bundled with the system to be deployed in desktop environments. After installation, the software extracts passphrases and seeds from popular wallets.

BHUNT malware spotted in the wild

Bitdefender, a leading cybersecurity company, has one report regarding a new type of password theft focused on cryptocurrency wallets that users have on their PCs. BHUNT, as this new malware is called, enters computers by installing infected software, mostly cracked software. According to the technical document issued for the software, BHUNT attacks Exodus, Electrum, Atomic, Jaxx, Ethereum, Bitcoin and Litecoin wallets. Once installed, the software can transfer users’ funds to another wallet and also steal other private data located on the infected computer.

Password thieves are not new to the PC sector, as computers can already be infected by various viruses that also have these abilities. What is special about this software is that its existence is heavily encrypted and it is packaged as digitally signed software, but the certificate issued does not match the program’s binary.

infection and prevention

Bitdefender concluded that BHUNT was released into the wild with no clear target due to the way it spread. Regarding the distribution of the software, the Bitdefender report states:

All of our telemetry comes from home users who are more likely to have cryptocurrency wallet software installed on their systems. This target group is also more likely to install cracks for operating system software, which we suspect to be the main source of infection.

The company put the extent of the infections detected on a map, and the countries with the highest number of infections were Australia, Egypt, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, Spain and the United States

Bitdefender also issued recommendations to avoid infection with BHUNT or other similar password-stealing malware. “The most effective way to defend against this threat is to avoid installing software from untrustworthy sources and keep security solutions up to date,” the report concluded.

Recently there was a torrent containing the new Spiderman: No Way Home movie reported also contain cryptocurrency malware.

What do you think of the new BHUNT cryptocurrency-stealing malware? Tell us in the comment section below.

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