Kaspersky Lab: Hidden mining now "takes over the throne of threat," bypassing ransom software

Kaspersky Labs' new cyber security report shows a significant reduction in the amount of ransom software targeting Internet users compared to the growing use of hidden mining, according to a report released on June 27.

Kaspersky Lab's report seeks to answer the question: "But if the ransom software is no longer the threat, who is the new king?" According to Kaspersky Labs, digital currency miners were popular because of their "secret and modest way of making money by exploiting users":

"Instead of paying big one-time compensation using ransom software, electronic criminals who use mining as a tactic can take advantage of the flow of money in a vague, stable and continuous way."

The report, which compares data from April-March 2017 with data from April-March 2018, finds that the total number of registered users has seen a 30 percent loss in the amount of ransom software they faced, and a 45 percent increase in the amount of digital currency attacks. This brings the amount of Internet users in the study affected by mining encryption to about 2.7 million.

According to the Kaspersky Lab's report, in the total number of cyber threats detected, the number of digital currency miners increased from 3 to 4 percent, and their share of total risk exposure increased from about 5 to 8 percent.

The report also notes that "the most prominent trends in ransom software" last year were Wanakra and Badrabit, new types of ransom demanded by Betcone (BTC) in exchange for open computers infected.