The growing price of cryptocurrencies has encouraged hackers to spread malware. Recent records lay down data on surreptitious mining of Monero using visitors' CPUs. But instead, an even more destructive malware Digmine is spreading through Facebook Messenger.Discovered by Trend Micro, Digmine infected South Korea and is now reported to spread in countries as Vietnam, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Philippines, Thailand, and Venezuela and could soon reach other countries.
Though Messenger works across various platforms, the malware affects only the desktop and the web browser(Chrome) version. You may receive a file named ‘video_xxxx.zip’ from one of the Facebook Messenger contacts which will load Chrome along with a malicious browser extension. A modified version of XMRig infects the system and mines the cryptocurrency through victim's CPU, draining the profits to the hacker.
As the use of bitcoins does not limit to online transactions but ranges even to trade for traditional currency has lured hackers past some time. Bitcoins generated after solving a cryptographic 'block' eats up system's great computing power often the ones with GPUs or ASICs. Being infected the system works abnormally slow or may even physically damage the infected phone (as found experimentally).
The video link may be passed to all friends on Facebook Messenger if one has the automatic Facebook login. It may even overtake the entire Facebook account.
On a happier note, Digmine does not have the same effect on Messenger app or mobile webpage. Facebook says it offers a free anti-virus scan on suspecting any such malware. Concluding, avoiding viewing any such suspicious link could be the best prevention.