Malware for Theft of Litecoins Discovered, says Security Company

ESET is reporting an ordinary malware strain that's doing the rounds while capturing Litecoins an Internet-based coin very much like the already-known virtual currency Bitcoin.

It (the company) states that named MSIL/PSW.LiteCoin.A, the malware contaminates Windows-PCs and attempts at stealing one and all "wallet.dat" files that aid in stacking Litecoins within different computer software.

ESET malware Researcher, Robert Lipovsky described the malicious program as not spreading wide, right now, however, said attackers might target Litecoins as it became popular and the number of people using it rose. Pcworld.com published this, July 2, 2013.

Functioning effectively, MSIL/PSW.LiteCoin.A transmitted the .dat documents onto an FTP server situated remotely and under the ownership of the attacker. Nevertheless, report about the scam has been extended to the web-service provider, so an alert message appears when users attempt at accessing the cyber criminal's FTP website.

A special utility of Litecoin's key software program named Litecoin-Qt allows end-users to encrypt their wallet.dat files; therefore, a cyber-criminal trying to steal the virtual currency still requires the coin-unlocking password.

It maybe noted that Litecoin's working very much relates to Bitcoin's system of functioning for, the currency utilizes an identical protocol as also one P2P network for moving its coins across PCs.

During April 2013, Mt. Gox the biggest place of exchange for Bitcoin declared that it was considering trading Litecoins, however, when distributed denial-of-service assaults (reportedly through the Skynet network-of-bots) hit it, the idea was temporarily suspended.

And as virtual currencies become increasingly vulnerable, Chief Research Officer Mikko Hypponen at F-Secure says that with people utilizing the Litecoin and Bitcoin crypto-currencies more-and-more, it implies that numerous cyber crooks have moved from their hitherto activities to earning revenues through hijacked PCs devoid of requiring any user-interaction. Techcentral.ie published this during the 1st-week of June 2013.

Previously, cyber-criminals frequently attacked end-users' computers to obtain passwords for their PayPal accounts, their credit-card or banking details. But, currently, plentiful hackers and other crooks rely on simple attacks against PCs for building/expanding botnets. Originally, such botnets may've gotten largely utilized for spewing spam else Denial-of-Service assaults; however, at present, according to Hypponen, they're getting utilized for mining Bitcoins.

» SPAMfighter News - 7/8/2013