Study: Covert browser mining cases rose 163% in Q2 2020

In the second quarter of 2020, the number of cases of covert browser mining of cryptocurrencies rose sharply — by 163% quarter-on-quarter. This is according to data from Symantec.

Researchers noted that for a while the popularity of cryptojacking waned. One of the main reasons was the closure of the Coinhive service, which allowed website owners to mine Monero at visitors’ expense.

However, in the second quarter of 2020, attacker activity involved in cryptojacking resumed as the price of most cryptocurrencies rose.

The rise in the price of Bitcoin and Monero likely contributed to this — these are the two coins attackers frequently mine via covert browser mining, according to Symantec.

Experts also noted that the number of attacks using malware rose as COVID-19 restrictions were lifted in various countries. In the second quarter of 2020, Symantec blocked more than 60 million attempts to infect devices — up 74% from the previous quarter.

The United States accounted for the largest share of attacks by IPs, followed by China, Taiwan, Brazil and Russia.

According to Check Point’s study, programs for covert cryptocurrency mining, along with ransomware, led in popularity among attackers in 2020.

Subscribe to ForkLog news on Telegram: ForkLog Feed — full news coverage, ForkLog — the most important news and polls.