Linux CryptoMiners Are Now Using Rootkits to Stay Hidden

[labbe5]

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/s ... ay-hidden/

As the popularity of cryptocurrency rises, so does the amount of cryptominer Tojans that are being created and distributed to unsuspecting victims. One problem for cryptominers, though, is that the offending process is easily detectable due to their heavy CPU utilization.

To make it harder to spot a cryptominer process that is utilizing all of the CPU, a new variant has been discovered for Linux that attempts to hide its presence by utilizing a rootkit.

According to a new report by TrendMicro, this new cryptominer+rootkit combo will still cause performance issues due to the high CPU utilization, but administrators will not be able to detect what process is causing it.

Utilizing a rootkit to hide a cryptominer can be an effective tool to avoid its removal. Unfortunately, this will also be a nightmare for system administrators and users who cannot figure out why their computer is using so much CPU.