North Korea Could Be Secretly Mining Cryptocurrency On Your Computer (qz.com)

An anonymous reader shares a report: North Korea has a cryptocurrency infatuation. Its government has been accused of unleashing a global ransomware attack to raise bitcoin, mining the cryptocurrency within its borders, and hacking South Korean bitcoin exchanges. Now, research firm Recorded Future says there's a strong chance Kim Jong-un's regime is experimenting with malware that secretly mines currency using other people's computers. Malware crypto-mining is a new global trend among hackers, says a new report from Recorded Future, which monitors discussions among "the criminal underground" on the so-called dark web. Starting this year, hackers seem to be shifting away from high-intensity, widespread ransomware attacks, towards "long-term, low velocity" crypto-mining in the background. Recorded Future has not detected specific instances of North Korean malware mining, but believes that the regime has the knowhow, motive, and interest in cryptocurrencies to execute similar attacks. "North Korean threat actors have prior experience in assembling and managing botnets, bitcoin mining, and cryptocurrency theft, as well as in custom altering publicly available malware; three elements that would be key to effectively creating and managing a network of covert cryptocurrency miners," Recorded Future's report reads.

Comments

It fits

[pr0t0]

I have a long-standing axiom that the more something is advertised to be true, the less likely it is to actually be true. Oft-repeated superlative phrases like "fastest network", "number one in service", "widest selection", etc. can generally be taken as slowest, worst, and limited respectively.

If you feel like you're being manipulated, it's because you are. This is particularly true when you see sudden ramp-up in coverage about a story, nation, or technology where previously there had been none. A single story is one thing, but one followed by a break of a few months and then two more with shorter breaks between, then suddenly one every 2-3 weeks on the same subject sets off my BS meter.

Speculation isn't news

[SlithyMagister]

Any /. article whose subject includes "could be" or similar wording is speculation, not news.
Almost anything "could" happen.

TFS says there's "a strong chance" that NK is doing something, but presents no evidence.
From TFA: "Recorded Future has not detected specific instances of North Korean malware mining"

Articles such as this are tabloid-worthy, and IMO reduce the overall quality of /.
Enjoy your day.

I thought I was being targeted in a scam

[TomR teh Pirate]

I thought I was being targeted in a scam when that woman with the Indian accent and claiming to be from Microsoft told me my computer was spreading viruses on the internet, but maybe it was all true. I hang my head in shame for the things I said to her.

Re:What you can conclude from these constant news:

[Ogive17]

As an American, I also blame our own government. However to deny the actions of Russia and N. Korea simply because you don't like the US... that's incredibly naive.

I have family in Japan - there are legitimate concerns about missiles flying over their country. They have enough to worry about with earthquakes, volcanoes, typhoons, nuclear plant meltdown.. missiles from N. Korea is a bit over the top.

Russia - they invaded Ukraine and still occupy part of it. They are just as active covertly in the affairs of every government as the US is. To them, it must be funny watching a significant portion of Americans deny reality because "their guy" won the election.

Now I don't believe their meddling in the election had a big impact.. Hillary just isn't a likable person. Did it sway some votes... probably.. was it enough to change the outcome? Highly unlikely. Hillary still got more votes, just not in the places she needed them.