Kaspersky's antiphishing systems have prevented 5 million cryptocurrency-related phishing attacks in 2022, an increase of 40% compared to the previous year. By contrast, there was a decrease in the detection of traditional financial threats, such as banking and mobile finance malware. These and other findings can be found in the company's latest report on financial threats.
According to a new report from Kaspersky, the financial threat landscape underwent significant changes in 2022. While attacks using traditional financial threats, such as banking software for PCs and mobile devices, have become less common, cybercriminals turned their attention to new areas, including the cryptocurrency industry.
In the last year, cryptocurrency phishing increased significantly and was included as a separate category, demonstrating 40 percent year-over-year growth with 5,040,520 cryptocurrency phishing detections in 2022 compared to 3,596,437 in 2021. This increase in cryptocurrency phishing could be partly explained by the havoc that wreaked on the crypto market last year. It is not yet clear if the trend will continue, this depends on the trust that users place in cryptocurrencies. This data correlates with user experiences with cryptocurrency threats explored by Kaspersky earlier this year: one in seven people surveyed were affected by cryptocurrency phishing.
Although most crypto scams feature traditional tricks, such as giveaway scams or fake wallet phishing pages, a recent active fraudulent scheme uncovered by Kaspersky shows that scammers are constantly devising new techniques to ensure their success. In this campaign, the user receives an English PDF file in the mail, which states that he supposedly signed up for a cryptocurrency cloud mining platform a long time ago and urgently needs to withdraw a lot of cryptocurrencies as his account is inactive. The file contains a link to a fake mining rig. To withdraw the crypto, the user must fill out a form with personal information, including the card or account number, and pay a commission, in this case, through a crypto wallet or directly to the specified wallet address.
An example of an active crypto fraud scheme occurred in February 2023
“Despite some problems that have occurred in the cryptocurrency market over the past six months, in many people's minds, cryptocurrencies are still a symbol of getting rich quick with minimal effort. Therefore, the stream of scammers parasitizing in this field does not dry up. To lure victims into their networks, these scammers continue to come up with new and more interesting stories,” said Olga Svistunova, security expert at Kaspersky.
For more information on the state of financial threats in 2022, visit securelist.com.
Find more details about the new cryptocurrency scam scheme at Kaspersky Journal.
To maximize the benefits of using cryptocurrency safely, Kaspersky experts also recommend:
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Beware of phishing scams – Scammers often use phishing emails or fake websites to trick people into revealing their login credentials or private keys. Always double check the URL of the website and do not click on any suspicious links.
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Don't share your private keys: Your private keys unlock your cryptocurrency wallet. Keep them private and never share them with anyone.
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Get Informed: Stay informed about the latest cyber threats and best practices to keep your cryptocurrency safe. The more you know about how to protect yourself, the better equipped you will be to prevent cyberattacks.
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Do your research before investing: Before investing in any cryptocurrency, thoroughly research the project and the team behind it. Check the project website, white paper, and social media channels to make sure the project is legitimate.
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Use security solutions: A reliable security solution will protect your devices from various types of threats. Kaspersky Premium prevents all known and unknown cryptocurrency fraud, as well as unauthorized use of your computer's processing power to mine cryptocurrency.
