Hackers don't sleep

The intel471.com portal published an article informing about a cryptocurrency hacking competition held on one of the Russian-language forums. We place an adapted translation for your reference.

The announcement of the start of the competition was posted on April 20. The administrator encouraged users to share unusual ways of stealing private keys and wallets, unique software for mining cryptocurrencies, methods of cracking smart contracts and non-fungible tokens (NFT), etc.

Prize money for the winners was $ 100,000, shortly after that one of the respected forum participants added $ 15,000 on his own.

The works were accepted in the format of articles for 30 days.One of the publications was devoted to manipulating the API interfaces of popular services related to cryptocurrency, or decentralized file technologies to obtain closed keys to wallets with cryptocurrency.According to Michael DeBolt, Senior Vice President of Global Intelligence at Intel 471, the participants of this forum chose the best work:Creating a fake blockchain site interface that allows fraudsters to collect keys from cryptocurrency wallets;

Creating a new cryptocurrency increase in hashrate mining farms.

In addition, experts stressed that most publications involve instructions or tools for stealing funds from cryptocurrency wallets.

There are similar competitions in other forums. Earlier contests, for example, called for the creation of botnets for mobile operating systems, intrusion into ATMs and trading points, and the formation of fake GPS signals. The prizes for these contests are as high as $10000, awarded the "best" Research Award, and each participant who submitted the design will immediately receive $50.

In addition, operators of various blackmail software provider groups, including Revil and lockbit, are competing on their own, Forum members publish articles on various topics that may contribute to further crime.

The activity on the forums demonstrates that cybercriminals are keeping a close eye on the cryptocurrency ecosystem and are paying attention to the steadily growing values. They will soon be targeting NFTs due to their extremely high cost. After all, cybercriminals go where the money is kept, at the same time the amount of money in the cryptoindustry is only increasing.

As noted by the intel471 editors, this forum emphasizes the high level of adaptability and dexterity of the scammers. Forums not only serve as a marketplace, but also open up and encourage new innovations and innovative approaches that do not need bureaucratic approval before being used to commit crimes.

In this regard, dear readers, please carry out activities only at verified sources and pages. Leave the unverified page and restrict access to your personal information.