E-Business
Kaspersky Uncovers Cybercriminals Blackmailing YouTube Creators to Spread Cryptocurrency Mining Malware
Cybercriminals are targeting popular YouTube creators with fake copyright claims, forcing them to distribute cryptocurrency mining malware disguised as Internet restriction bypass tools to thousands of viewers.
Kaspersky Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT) researchers have uncovered a sophisticated malicious campaign where threat actors blackmail YouTube content creators into distributing malicious software.
The attackers file two fraudulent copyright complaints against creators, then threaten a third strike – which would delete their YouTube channels. To avoid this, creators unknowingly promote malicious links, believing them legitimate to save their channels.
Kaspersky’s telemetry confirmed over 2,000 end users infected with the malware after downloading the tool, though the actual number of affected users is likely much higher. One compromised YouTube channel with 60,000 subscribers published several videos containing malicious links that garnered more than 400,000 views. The infected archive hosted on a fraudulent website recorded over 40,000 downloads.
The malware, dubbed as SilentCryptoMiner, exploits the growing demand for Internet restriction bypass tools. Kaspersky’s telemetry shows a significant increase in the use of legitimate Windows Packet Divert drivers—a technology commonly used in bypass utilities—with detections rising from approximately 280,000 in August to nearly 500,000 in January, totaling more than 2.4 million detections over six months.
The attackers specifically targeted users seeking these bypass tools by modifying a legitimate Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) circumvention utility originally published on GitHub.
Their malicious version maintains the original functionality to avoid suspicion, but secretly installs SilentCryptoMiner, which harvests computing resources to mine cryptocurrency without users’ knowledge or consent, significantly degrading device performance and increasing electricity costs.
“This campaign demonstrates a concerning evolution in malware distribution tactics,” said Leonid Bezvershenko, security researcher at Kaspersky’s GReAT. “While initially targeting Russian-speaking users, this approach could easily spread to other regions as Internet fragmentation increases globally.
“The scheme effectively leverages trusted content creators as unwitting accomplices, which works in any market where users seek tools to circumvent online restrictions.”
When security solutions detect and remove the malicious components, the modified installer encourages users to disable their antivirus protection with messages like “File not found, turn off all antiviruses and re-download the file, it will help!” — further compromising system security.
Kaspersky GReAT identified several indicators of compromise, including connections to domains like swapme[.]fun and canvas[.]pet, along with specific file hashes. The attackers demonstrate persistence, rapidly creating new distribution channels when previous ones are blocked.
Visa, global payment services giant, has announced plans to establish a data centre infrastructure in Nigeria.
Andrew Torre, Visa’s regional president for central and eastern Europe and Vice-President Kashim Shettima
According to a statement by Stanley Nkwocha, senior special assistant to the president on media and communications (office of the vice-president) on Friday, Andrew Torre, Visa’s regional president for central and eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, spoke during a courtesy visit to Vice-President Kashim Shettima at the presidential villa in Abuja.
“This is in addition to its investments of over $1 billion in the country, including a substantial technological partnership with @moniepoint to foster digital payment solutions, a $200 million investment in Interswitch, and a partnership with @thriveagric to empower smallholder farmers and enhance food security in Nigeria,” the statement reads.
During the meeting, Torre said the plan to establish the data centre infrastructure aims to bring new technologies into the Nigerian market that would bolster the nation’s growing digital economy.
“Visa has been making investments and will continue to make these investments in Nigeria,” he said.
Responding, Shettima welcomed Visa’s expansion efforts, assuring the delegation that the partnership between Visa and the Nigerian government would continue to flourish.
The vice-president commended the company for investing in ThriveAgric, noting that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is deeply committed to repositioning the agriculture sector, which remains a top priority in its 8-point agenda.
“Nigeria is where the action is. Of the 10 fintechs in Africa, about eight are in Nigeria, with moniepoint as the newest addition,” Shettima said.
“Agriculture is key to the 8-point agenda of the present administration. President @officialABAT is really keen on repositioning the agriculture industry here, and we have to invest in technology, we have to invest in modernisation.”
On January 23, Moniepoint, a Nigerian fintech company, announced it secured investment from Visa to support the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Andrew Torre, Visa’s regional president for central and eastern Europe and Vice-President Kashim Shettima
Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has approved N242.8m for the procurement of a Microsoft 365 licence for its Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS) as part of efforts to digitise the service’s operations.
Mr Michael Ango, acting executive chairman of FCT-IRS, disclosed this after the FCT Executive Committee meeting chaired by Mr Nyesom Wike, the minister of FCTA, in Abuja on Wednesday.
Ango said that the FCTA was making significant investments in technology to enhance revenue generation and collection.
“So, this is also one of those investments in technology that the FCT is undertaking.
“The licence, if procured, will enhance our ability to move most of our manual processes into automated processes.
“It will enhance our ability to communicate within our offices,” he said.
The executive chairman added that the move would also reduce the use of paper and ensure better record-keeping through the storage of information and documents in the cloud.
According to him, “The licence will essentially enhance our operations and assist us in generating revenue for the development of the FCT under Wike’s leadership.”
Rack Centre, West Africa’s Tier III Carrier and Cloud neutral data centre, has welcomed Olla Cloud Service, a new private cloud service by Olla Systems Limited, a leading provider of innovative technology solutions, to its facility.
Hosting at Rack Centre, Olla Cloud Service runs on a state-of-the-art, cloud-enabled infrastructure for enterprise applications across diverse platforms, including mission critical application, web applications as well as containerised applications using Kubernetes.
Lars Johannisson, CEO, Rack Centre, welcoming Olla Systems, noted that the partnership with Olla Systems Limited would reflect the company’s commitment to providing African businesses with high- quality cloud computing services.
He noted that Olla Systems would enjoy Rack Centre’s 13.5MW data centre campus facility, designed to meet the highest international standards and offering scalable solutions to Hyperscalers, Enterprises, and Cloud service providers.
As part of its commitment to sustainability, the facility is equipped with energy-efficient systems, advanced cooling technologies to mitigate environmental impact and an optimally-designed feature to handle high-density workloads with precision.
According to Johannisson, “With Olla Cloud Service hosting at Rack Centre, clients will experience fast performance and low latency, enabling businesses in Africa to access world-class cloud computing services within a secure and compliant local infrastructure.”
Also speaking, Olusola Adenuga, chief executive officer, Olla Systems Limited, expressed enthusiasm about hosting at Rack Centre, noting that Olla Cloud remains a groundbreaking private cloud solution for businesses.
While highlighting the benefits of the partnership between Rack Centre and Olla Systems, Adenuga disclosed that “subscribing to Olla Cloud Service is cost-effective to customers because of its local currency payment advantage.”
She also noted that the partnership between the duo, provides businesses the opportunity to meet regulatory requirements of data residency, while enjoying world-class infrastructure as a service (IaaS) locally.
“Other benefits of hosting with Olla Cloud include: 24/7 support, unparalleled performance, scalability and agility.” she added.
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