Loading story…
AhnLab Security intelligence Center (ASEC) reported an ongoing campaign targeting poorly managed Linux servers, where attackers gain access through SSH brute-force attempts or stolen credentials and then deploy propagation malware to install XMRig-based coin miners. Observed through multiple honeypots, the activity uses a multi-stage toolset that includes Go-based downloaders and SSH spreaders, along with malware families such as ShellBot/PerlBot, MIG LogCleaner, and XHide to move laterally, fetch payloads, hide activity, and maintain control of compromised hosts.
The miners are disguised as legitimate processes and are installed with multiple persistence mechanisms, including systemd services, cron jobs, hidden binary paths, and watchdog functions that restore deleted payloads. ASEC said the propagation malware scans for exposed SSH services, authenticates with credential lists, installs miners on newly compromised systems, and reports results back to attacker infrastructure, assessing that the same threat actor has likely been conducting Linux-focused cryptomining attacks since at least 2023.
Mallory correlates global threat intelligence with your attack surface — know if you’re exposed before adversaries strike.
2 events from the most recent confirmed update back to the earliest known activity.
ASEC assessed that the same threat actor has likely been conducting Linux-focused attacks since at least 2023, targeting poorly managed Linux servers via SSH access to deploy propagation malware and XMRig-based coin miners.
On July 11, 2026, ASEC reported an ongoing campaign observed through multiple honeypots in which attackers used SSH brute-force or credential-based access and propagation malware to install XMRig coin miners on Linux SSH servers. The report described malware families and components including Go-based downloaders and SSH spreaders, ShellBot/PerlBot, MIG LogCleaner, XHide, and customized miners with persistence mechanisms.
Vulnerabilities, threat actors, malware, products, organizations, and breaches Mallory has linked to this story.
2 references tracked. Mallory keeps watching after this page renders.
malware.news
Open sourceasec.ahnlab.com
Open sourceMap indicators from this story to your assets and identify affected systems in minutes.
Every observed campaign, victim, and pivot linked to actors named in this story.
Malware, exploits, and IOCs connected to the activity described here.
YARA, Sigma, and Snort rules deployed to your SIEM as soon as they’re published.
Get matching new stories delivered to your team as they break — not the next morning.
Ask questions about this story and take action on the answers.
Other stories Mallory is tracking that overlap on entities, sources, or topic labels.
Kaspersky reported that the open-source **XMRig** Monero miner was being folded into broader malware operations, including a "ransominer" chain that monetized victims before any ransom was paid. In one observed intrusion, attackers used a generic Trojan to install administrative tools, create a new user account, enable **RDP** access, deploy **Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Crusis**, and then launch an XMRig loader so the compromised host immediately began generating cryptocurrency for the attackers. Telemetry showed more than **5,000** attempts in August 2020 to install XMRig or modified variants, with **Prometei** and **Cliptomaner** identified as major distributors. Prometei brute-forced **MS SQL** credentials, abused `xp_cmdshell` and **`CVE-2016-0099`**, and used a cross-platform **.NET Core/Apphost** loader to fetch miner payloads for Windows and Linux systems. Cliptomaner, first detected in September 2020, posed as **Realtek** audio software, was written in **AutoIT**, mined cryptocurrency, and also hijacked copied wallet addresses by replacing them with attacker-controlled ones.
Jun 29, 2026
Elastic Security Labs reported that the financially motivated **REF1695** operation has used counterfeit software installers since November 2023 to infect victims with remote access trojans and cryptocurrency miners. Recent activity relied on fake **ISO** files containing a .NET Reactor-protected loader and a text file that led to deployment of a previously undocumented **.NET implant** called **CNB Bot**, which can inject additional payloads. The infection chain instructed users to bypass Microsoft Defender SmartScreen, then used PowerShell to add broad Microsoft Defender Antivirus exclusions, launch malware, and display a fake application error to mask the compromise. Researchers linked the same actor to campaigns delivering **PureRAT**, **PureMiner**, a custom .NET-based **XMRig** loader, and **SilentCryptoMiner**, with some payloads abusing the vulnerable signed drivers `WinRing0x64.sys` and `Winring0.sys` to tune CPU settings and improve mining performance. The operation also used watchdog functions and scheduled tasks for persistence and recovery, communicated with command-and-control servers over HTTP POST, and abused **GitHub** as a trusted platform for staged payload delivery to reduce detection. Elastic estimated the campaign generated **27.88 XMR** across four tracked wallets, worth about **$9,392**.
Jun 29, 2026
Researchers reported two distinct cryptomining operations that used stealth and defense-evasion techniques to gain and keep access on victim systems. In the **GhostEngine** campaign, attackers deployed vulnerable drivers in a bring-your-own-vulnerable-driver (`BYOVD`) technique to terminate endpoint detection and response products and other security controls, clearing the way for cryptocurrency miners to run on compromised Windows machines. The activity highlighted how legitimate but flawed kernel drivers can be weaponized to disable protections before payload execution. A separate campaign, **GuptiMiner**, abused antivirus update mechanisms to distribute backdoors and mining components through what appeared to be trusted software delivery paths. According to researchers, the operation combined supply-chain-style tampering with persistence and remote access, allowing attackers to install additional malware while quietly consuming system resources for mining. Together, the incidents show attackers increasingly pairing cryptomining with privileged evasion methods and trusted update abuse to bypass defenses and monetize compromised endpoints.
Jul 12, 2026