Hackers Use Malicious Code In Wav Audio Files To Mine Cryptocurrencies.

[✨ Megiddo]

Threat researchers have discovered malicious code in WAV audio files that hackers use to mine cryptocurrencies.

On October 16, researchers at BlackBerry Cylance, a software company that develops anti-virus software, reported the discovery of malicious code hidden in WAV audio files. This type of malicious campaign, where hackers hide malicious codes in regular files, is known as steganography.

The analysis showed that some of the .wav files contained code for deploying malware in order to obtain financial benefits and establish remote access on the victim's computer. The report reads:

"During playback, some WAV files created music that did not have noticeable quality problems or glitches. Others simply generated static (white noise)."

Malicious WAV files allow hackers to deploy CPU miners on a victim’s device that steals processing resources and makes thousands of dollars a month on cryptocurrency mining. For this reason, cryptocurrency miners are a popular load of malware among hackers because they provide financial benefits by running in the background without user knowledge - an attack commonly called cryptocurrency.