Hackers Are Now Using Compromised Cloud Accounts To Mine Crypto

Attackers are exploiting poorly configured cloud accounts to mine crypto, Google warned users in a recent report. Cryptocurrency mining is a computationally intensive activity. And Google Cloud customers can access it at a cost. However, miners are now hacking Google Cloud accounts for mining purposes. In the report titled “Threat Horizons,” Google’s cybersecurity team assessed various threats to Cloud users, providing details of the breaches. Related Reading | Data Shows Crypto Hacks And Fraud In 2021 Are On Track For A New Record The report also provided cybersecurity threat intelligence to cloud users. The aim is to enable them “better configure their environments and defenses in manners most specific to their needs.” Crypto Miners Hacking Google Accounts In the report, the cybersecurity team analyzed 50 recently compromised Google Cloud accounts. And out of those, 86% were related to crypto mining. “Malicious actors were observed performing cryptocurrency mining within compromised Cloud instances,” Google wrote. Related Reading | Ethereum Miner Revenue Outpaces Bitcoin In 2021 The report also stated that in the majority of these incidents, the hackers downloaded crypto mining software to the compromised accounts within 22 seconds. The attacks were scripted, and it would have been impossible to manually stop them. Additionally, in 10% of these incidents, the hackers scanned other publ...