Devastating Malware Attacks of 2018

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The year 2018 has just passed and a hearty welcome to 2019! Hope, this year brings an immense success, joy and wealth to all our readers of Cybersecurity Insiders along with good health- as that’s the need of the hour to many. 

Coming to the article of ‘devastating virus attacks of 2018’ cybersecurity firm REVE has compiled a list of top viruses which hit the news headlines in 2018 and the list is as follows-

Coin Miner- This virus was launched to target those using Mac computers and is basically a cryptocurrency mining malware and was found influencing the CPU and battery of a system in a negative way. ‘Coin Miner’ virus was found targeting the systems of victims who download malicious docs and programs and fake flash player installations from gaming or A-rated websites.

Goner- This notorious virus is found hitting the systems as a screen saver attached to an email. It actually makes way through a computer’s Outlook program and infects the system in such a way that the PC starts sending emails attached with the virus on an automated note to all the email addresses saved in the Outlook. Security analysts say that the virus is found moving security files from the system in a discrete way.

MyloBot- Researchers from the antivirus firm REVE discovered that this malware gains full access to the infected systems as soon as it hits the target. The malware is seen mostly targeting Windows 10 PCs after disabling the Windows Defender and Windows Update operations after blocking the firewall. The most interesting part of this malware is that hackers can use this malware to add payloads to this malware to launch other attack variants.

WannaMine 3.0- Developed by Shadow Brokers, WannaMine 3.0 was used as part of WannaCry Ransomware attack and for other virus attacks. It is basically crypto mining software that uses the targeted PCs computing power to mine digital currencies.

Thanatos- This is a ransomware variant which allows the victims to decrypt their files on payment of 0.01 Bitcoins. It is spreading through malicious files, phishing websites, and freeware….etc.

Red Alert 2.0- Hackers are seen masking this malware in disguise of WhatsApp and Viber applications. It basically hits Android operating systems and prompts users to enter their credentials which are then sent to the server controlled by cyber crooks. Then the malware is seen showing its devastating traits by blocking all Calls and SMS thereby offering the web crook to gain more time to execute their malicious activities.

It’s obvious that the year 2019 will witness many such sophisticated viruses hitting the web. So, it’s crucial to ensure that your future internet activities remain well protected by advanced security solutions.

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Naveen Goud is a writer at Cybersecurity Insiders covering topics such as Mergers & Acquisitions, Startups, Cyber Attacks, Cloud Security and Mobile Security

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