Apple users warned about Bitcoin security fears
A newly released security report has confirmed what infosecurity experts have been observing over the past few months: a rise in the price of Bitcoin, leading to a massive increase in password theft attacks. What is perhaps surprising is that it is Apple users who are largely in the crosshairs of crypto hackers.
As Bitcoin surges to $100,000, Apple password hack attacks reach pandemic proportions
Security vendor ESET has just released its new threat report looking at threat trends from June to November 2024. While much of this is far from surprising to those who have been paying attention, such as those who read my articles here, that is not to say the report is without some moments of shock and awe.
The 335 percent increase in social media scams like AI deepfakes and impersonation brand phishing attacks on these platforms is neither shocking nor impressive given the time of year. Unfortunately, the fact that threat groups allied with China, North Korea and Iran are becoming more active in targeted ransomware attacks no longer belongs to the shocking category. What also didn’t take my breath away was the fact that as Bitcoin’s value rose, password-stealing attacks on cryptocurrency wallets increased. However, the most dramatic increase was in attacks targeting macOS users.
“According to ESET telemetry data from the second half of 2024,” the report states, “the numbers of crypto stealers have increased on several platforms, particularly on Windows, macOS and Android.” However, the number of password thieves detected has increased targeting cryptocurrency wallets on macOS has more than doubled compared to the first half of the year. “Meanwhile,” says ESET, “the number of Windows crypto theft threats grew by 56% and Android financial threats, which include crypto theft malware, grew by 20%.”
127% increase in password theft on macOS following Bitcoin price surge
The ESET analysis found a 127 percent increase in so-called password stealing software on the macOS platform that targets credentials associated with cryptocurrency wallets. “Although these threats cannot be classified exclusively as crypto thefts due to their broader functionality,” said ESET security researchers, they are indicative of the increasing trend in crypto theft activity on macOS.”
Much of this increase is due to a malware family called Atomic Stealer, or AMOS, which has spawned numerous copycats due to its success. “Since its launch in 2023,” ESET confirmed, “various AMOS variants and copycats have appeared for sale on both the black market and in the wild.”
As cryptocurrencies reach record highs, Jiří Kropáč, ESET director of threat detection, said that cryptocurrency wallet data is one of the main targets of malicious actors. “The second half of 2024 appears to have been occupied by cybercriminals finding vulnerabilities and innovative ways to expand their victim pool,” Kropáč said, “in the usual cat-and-mouse game with defenders.”
When it comes to geographical regions, ESET analysis suggests that most detections of these macOS Bitcoin and other crypto attacks target the US, followed by Italy, China, Spain and Japan.
