New Malware Attacks Hold ASIC Miners to Ransom

By Jamie Redman News.Bitcoin.com

According to reports from cybersecurity researchers, there’s a new ransomware virus on the loose that’s targeting bitcoin miners. A file locking program called H-Ant has allegedly infected certain Antminer models in China and if the ransom is not paid the software aims to destroy the infected machine.

New Ransomware Called H-Ant Attacks Mining Rig Operators in China

Ransomware creators have found a new target to attack in the form of bitcoin mining operations. Unlike most traditional ransom attacks, where victims have to obtain coins in order to pay the ransom, victims of the H-Ant ransomware have cryptocurrencies on hand to pay the malicious attackers. The H-Ant ransomware that specifically targets certain Antminer brand rigs was first discovered by cybersecurity experts back in August 2018 but the malware did not become prevalent until this month. H-Ant can attack an S9 model, T9, and possibly even L3 Antminer brand litecoin miners. There have also been limited reports of Canaan brand Avalon miners that have been infected, explained the regional media outlet Yibenchain.

The report also detailed that once a mining rig is infected with the H-Ant virus, the device will seize and stop mining cryptocurrencies. Then, if the owner hooks the device to an LCD screen, a matrix-like screen splash will appear and reveal the H-Ant ransomware note written in both English and Chinese.

“I am H-Ant,” the English version of the ransom note explains. “I will continue to attack your Antminer and as long as you spread the infected machine, my server verifies that there are 10 new IPs and the number of Antminers reaches 1,000 — I will then stop attacking you. I can also turn off your Antminer’s fan and overheat protection, which will cause you to burn your machine or can burn down the house.”

Custom Overclocking Firmware Might Be the Root Cause of the H-Ant Ransomware

Yibenchain detailed in its report that a miner using a pseudonym told the publication on Jan. 5 his mining software management interface displayed the H-Ant screen splash. Then he clicked the screen which displayed the ransom note asking for 10 BTC ($35K at press time). Moreover, mining pool Btc.top founder Jiang Zhuo’er told the Chinese news publication 8btc that miners have been monitoring the virus for a while now. The infection is a Linux based virus that can find its way into the mining rigs firmware files quite easily.

Read the full note at : https://news.bitcoin.com/new-malware-attacks-hold-asic-miners-to-ransom/