Malware threat to virtual currencies to affect cyber hygiene

NEW DELHI: There is a threat to the blockchain in virtual transactions which could affect 'cyber hygiene' as well as the sharing of child sexual abuse images, according to INTERPOL cyber threat researchers, including a Kaspersky Lab expert.

Depending on the cryptocurrency and its protocols, there is a fixed open space on the blockchain - the public 'ledger' of transactions - where data can be stored, referenced or hosted within encrypted transactions and their records. It is this open space which was identified as the potential target for malware by experts, a statement said.

It could also enable crime scenarios in the future such as the deployment of modular malware, a reshaping of the distribution of zero-day attacks, as well as the creation of illegal underground marketplaces dealing in private keys which would allow access to this data.

"To conduct this type of research and identify new cyberthreats were among the key aims behind the creation of the INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation," said INTERPOL's Global Complex for Innovation (IGCI) Executive Director Noboru Nakatani.

"Having identified this threat, it is now important for INTERPOL to spread awareness amongst the public and law enforcement, as well as encourage support from communities working in this field to find solutions for the potential blockchain 'abuse'.

"In addition to our own experts, the research was conducted with support from a specialist from Kaspersky Lab based at the IGCI which again underlines the value of sharing expertise between the public and private sectors," added Nakatani.

"The core principle of our research is to forewarn about potential future threats coming from decentralized systems based on blockchains. While we generally support the idea of blockchain-based innovations we think that's it is our duty, as a part of security community, to help the developers make such technologies sustainable and useful for the purpose they were intended for. We hope that bringing potential problems to light now will help in improving such technologies in the future and will make it more difficult for them to be used for any malicious purpose," said Vitaly Kamluk, Principal Security Researcher at Kaspersky Lab.