Description

A newly observed crypto-mining malware campaign is leveraging social engineering and worm-like USB propagation to infect systems, including isolated environments. The threat is distributed through cracked or trojanized software installers, tricking users into executing a malicious payload disguised as legitimate applications. Once deployed, the malware establishes persistence and silently mines cryptocurrency, generating revenue for attackers while remaining largely undetected by conventional security controls. Technically, the infection chain begins with a dropper component that installs a controller binary responsible for managing execution flow, persistence, and mining activity. The malware uses multiple helper processes masquerading as legitimate system files to evade detection and maintain operational stability. It incorporates watchdog mechanisms that relaunch the miner if terminated and can interfere with normal system processes to retain control. A notable feature is its ability to monitor removable media insertion events and automatically copy itself to connected USB drives using hidden directories and deceptive shortcut files. This enables lateral movement across systems, including potentially air-gapped networks. Additionally, the malware abuses a vulnerable signed driver (associated with CVE-2020-14979) to gain low-level hardware access and optimize CPU performance for the RandomX algorithm, commonly used for Monero mining, significantly increasing hash rates while minimizing visible indicators of compromise. The campaign primarily targets Windows endpoints across enterprise and individual environments. Risk level is considered high due to its stealth capabilities, persistence techniques, USB-based propagation, and driver exploitation. Organizations are advised to restrict the use of unauthorized software, enforce removable media controls, deploy endpoint detection solutions capable of identifying malicious driver abuse, monitor abnormal CPU usage, and maintain updated security patches to reduce exposure to similar threats.