August 15, 2024 at 01:57AM
Cybersecurity researchers have identified a new variant of the Gafgyt botnet that targets devices with weak SSH passwords, employing their GPU computational power to mine cryptocurrency. This variant specifically aims at cloud native environments, expanding its scale by exploiting poorly secured servers and propagating the malware. The botnet employs the XMRig cryptocurrency miner, seeking to utilize GPU computational power for cryptomining rather than launching DDoS attacks. The discovery highlights the importance of securing SSH servers against potential exploitation.
Key takeaways from the meeting notes:
1. Cybersecurity researchers have discovered a new variant of the Gafgyt botnet targeting machines with weak SSH passwords to mine cryptocurrency using their GPU computational power in cloud environments.
2. The Gafgyt botnet has a history of exploiting weak or default credentials in devices such as routers, cameras, and digital video recorders, and is capable of launching DDoS attacks.
3. The botnet uses the XMRig Monero cryptocurrency miner with capabilities to leverage GPU and Nvidia GPU computational power.
4. It is targeting cloud-native environments with strong CPU and GPU capabilities, and has been seen using a Go-based SSH scanner to propagate the malware to other systems.
5. There are over 30 million publicly accessible SSH servers, highlighting the importance of securing instances against brute-force attacks and potential exploitation.
Overall, the focus seems to be on mining cryptocurrency in cloud environments using compromised instances and exploiting SSH vulnerabilities.