Hackers Use Malicious Code in WAV Audio Files To Mine Cryptocurrencies

Threat researchers have discovered malicious code in WAV audio files, code that hackers use to mine cryptocurrencies.

Hackers earn thousand of dollars per month

On Oct. 16, researchers at BlackBerry Cylance, a software company that develops anti-virus programs, reported the discovery of malicious code hidden within WAV audio files. This type of malware campaign, where hackers conceal malware codes in ordinary-looking files, is known as steganography.

The analysis showed that some of the WAV files contained code to deploy malware for financial gain and establish remote access within the victim machine. The report reads:

“When played, some of the WAV files produced music that had no discernible quality issues or glitches. Others simply generated static (white noise).”

The malicious WAV files allow hackers to deploy CPU miners onto the victim’s device, which steals processing resources and generates thousands of dollars per month from mining cryptocurrency. For that reason, crypto miners are a popular malware payload amongst hackers  as they provide financial benefit while operating in the background without the user’s knowledge — an attack commonly called crypto-jacking.