In the past we reported a couple of attacks involving malware that turn infected systems into Bitcoin miners.We also said that cybercriminals will increasingly do so in the future.We recently encountered another familiar and well-known malware family—TDL4—that turns infected systems into Bitcoin miners.TDL4 is a well-known TDSS variant that evades antivirus detection by infecting systems’ boot sector.We have since been monitoring TDSS-related developments.Earlier this year, we saw TDL4 exhibit propagation routines through a worm component that Trend Micro detects as WORM_OTORUN.ASH.In the course of our research, we found that recent variants of WORM_OTORUN.ASH contain code that attempts to participate in a Bitcoin pool known as Deepbit.Figure 1 shows some parameters that include getwork, which gets a job from the mining pool.A job is a Bitcoin block header which the miner, in this case the infected system, hashes in order to earn a Bitcoin share.In Bitcoin pools, users sign up and join a network of miners to work on the same jobs for faster payout.

Based on Trend Micro™ Smart Protection Network™ data, WORM_OTORUN.ASH’s distribution has expanded to other parts of the globe in the past few months.Trend Micro Smart Protection Network, which constantly analyzes data, including geographic distribution, from the feedback of millions of Trend Micro customers worldwide, allows us to monitor how widespread any particular malware is in real time as well as to determine other steps that we can take to mitigate these threats.For a clearer illustration, refer to Figure 2 below.During our monitoring, we also observed that WORM_OTORUN.ASH’s command-and-control (C&C) servers were hosted by dubious Internet service providers (ISPs) located in Europe, particularly in the Ukraine, Romania, and the Netherlands.Is There Something New Here?Cybercriminals will continue to find ways to monetize their malicious activities; Bitcoin is just one more means for them to do so.Bitcoin earned the attention of crooks for several reasons, one of which is the fact that it is a direct source of income.

In addition, the concept of pooled mining complements the nature of botnets.Multiple zombie PCs contribute to the generation of a Bitcoin block with rewards ending up in cybercriminals’ hands at the infected users’ expense.This is not very good news for victims, as Bitcoin-mining bots will probably eat up infected systems’ resources.bitcoin wealth distribution 2017On a more positive note, however, Bitcoin mining will compromise the covertness of a malware since the high CPU usage can alert the user to possible system infections.bitcoin what is xbtAs seen in TDL4 and WORM_OTORUN.ASH, it wouldn’t surprise me if Bitcoin mining becomes a trend among today’s botnets.litecoin download blockchainWe may just encounter more “BOTcoin miners” in the near future.bitcoin miner z

WELLINGTON Controversial New Zealand-based internet mogul Kim Dotcom plans to launch a Bitcoin payments system for users to sell files and video streaming as he fights extradition to the United States for criminal copyright charges.The German-born entrepreneur, who is wanted by U.S.ethereum replaw enforcement on copyright and money laundering allegations related to his now-defunct streaming site Megaupload, announced his new venture called 'Bitcontent' in a video posted on Youtube this week.bitcoin ransomware tracking"You can create a payment for any content that you put on the internet...you can share that with your customers, with the interest community and, boom, you are basically in business and can sell your content," Dotcom said in the video.He added that Bitcontent would eventually allow businesses, such as news organizations, to earn money from their entire websites.

He did not provide a launch date.Dotcom did not provide details on how Bitcontent would differ from existing Bitcoin operations or how it would help news organizations make money beyond existing subscription payment options.Bitcoin is a virtual currency that can be used to move money around the world quickly and with relative anonymity, without the need for a central authority, such as a bank or government.The currency's anonymity has however made it popular with drug dealers, money launderers and organized crime groups, meaning governments and the financial establishment have been slow to embrace it since the first trade in 2009.The currency’s value hit record levels in 2017, trading at $1,145 on Wednesday, a fivefold increase in a year, amid growing interest globally.A New Zealand court ruled in February that Dotcom could be extradited to the United States to face charges relating to his Megaupload website, which was shutdown in 2012 following an FBI-ordered raid on his Auckland mansion, a decision he was appealing.Dotcom, who has New Zealand residency, became well known for his lavish lifestyle as much as his computer skills.He used to post photographs of himself with cars having vanity plates such as "GOD" and "GUILTY", shooting an assault rifle and flying around the world in his private jet.

(Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Michael Perry)10.10.14 di Pier Luigi Cara 000 Bitcoin: per capire come funziona la moneta elettronica, si prova al concerto di Moreno Un’idea nuova abbina i primi bancomat del denaro virtuale e l’Incredibile Tour 2014.Ma che cos’è questa nuova moneta?E quali rischi si corrono a usarla Il Bitcoin punta sulla musica per presentarsi ai giovani.Durante le date di Incredibile tour del rapper Moreno (Roma 18 ottobre, Milano 22 ottobre), sarà possibile acquistare il cd Incredibile e lo special box Stecca a un prezzo promozionale utilizzando la criptovaluta.Inoltre, in occasione dei due concerti, Robocoin Italia, l’azienda italiana che ha portato in Italia il primo bancomat per l’acquisto di moneta digitale, allestirà stand dove i fan potranno rifornirsi di bitcoin per acquistare il merchandising del cantante.Insomma, una vera e propria campagna a suon di note per far conoscere la valuta elettronica ai giovani.Ma che cos’è esattamente il bitcoin?

«Si tratta di una criptovaluta, ovvero una divisa elettronica che sfrutta la crittografia per convalidare gli scambi e la creazione di moneta.Non esiste una banca centrale: ogni transazione è pubblica e viene memorizzata in un database distribuito tra i nodi della rete che viene utilizzato per confermarne la validità.La rete che gestisce le transazioni si chiama Bitcoin (con la B maiuscola)».«A realizzarla, nel 2009, un anonimo con il nome fittizio di Satoshi Nakamoto.Julian Assange, fondatore di WikiLeaks, sostiene che i bitcoin siano una “moneta senza stato”, creata da attivisti che, attraverso la crittografia, auspicano il cambiamento politico e sociale».A che cosa serve?Permette di effettuare pagamenti online svincolati da istituti finanziari».«Può essere “coniata” in forma anonima da chiunque scarichi il  software open source in grado di gestire le transazioni.La rete Bitcoin crea e distribuisce in maniera casuale le monete all’incirca una volta ogni dieci minuti ai client che mettono a disposizione la propria potenza di calcolo per la gestione e la sicurezza della rete stessa.

La probabilità di ricevere la ricompensa in monete è proporzionale proprio alla potenza computazionale.La maggior parte delle persone si unisce in gruppi, i mining pool, spartendosi poi i bitcoin in funzione del contributo di ognuno.Questa attività è chiamata mining».Quanto vale un bitcoin?«Il suo valore è fluttuante data la natura decentralizzata del metodo di creazione».È davvero una moneta sicura?«Alcuni plaudono alla sicurezza della divisa perché sarebbe garantita dalla crittografia.Assange, ad esempio, loda “sistemi come Bitcoin che aggiungono uno strato sicuro, protetto dalla crittografia, a quello della rete compromessa”; altri, al contrario, sostengono che l’anonimato potrebbe rendere i bitcoin la valuta dei traffici illeciti.Per la Banca d’Italia “il bitcoin, come le altre monete virtuali, ha un valore puramente fiduciario, che non è controllato o garantito da alcun istituto di emissione centrale.Anche per questa ragione è molto variabile, con rischi non trascurabili per i detentori”.