Hackers Used NFTs for Covert Mining and Cryptocurrency Wallet Theft

In 2021, NFTs became one of the main mechanisms for disseminating malware used for covert mining or theft of cryptocurrency wallets. сообщает Kommersant, citing ESET.

Analysts say hackers most often place viruses in gaming NFTs that allegedly contain superpowers or rare weapons. Malicious tools for cryptojacking are embedded via applications.

Previously, the main sources of such viruses were torrent resources and porn sites.

ESET notes that in 2021 Russia remained the leader among countries by the number of cryptocurrency-related attack victims — 11.2% of the total. The peak activity occurred from September to December 2021, accounting for 12.3% of all detections worldwide. Analysts link this to the rise in the price of digital currencies.

Earlier in February Chainalysis identified on the NFT market “significant” volumes of fictitious trading. For more on how NFTs exacerbate the money-laundering problem, see ForkLog.

Follow ForkLog’s Bitcoin news on our Telegram — cryptocurrency news, rates and analysis.