Hackers Use Clipper Malware To Steal Cryptocurrencies

Hackers use clipper malware to steal cryptocurrencies by replacing the receiving address between copying and pasting as we are about to read further in the coming altcoin news.

According to a report from February 2019, the security researcher called Lukas Stefanko, discovered that the hackers use clipper malware that was brought to Google Play via infected crypto apps as he described it in a blog post named ‘’First Clipper Malware discovered on Google Play’’ where he explains how hackers steal crypto users’ coins. The malware has a very simple purpose which is to copy and paste the public addresses of crypto wallets so when a user copies an address, the malware replaces it with an address of a hacker.

When the user uses the paste function to enter the address, it is not as same as the one that they originally copied. However, this is usually something that most people would notice as crypto wallet addresses tend to be extremely random-looking and long. The problem also appeared on the BitcoinTalk forum where the user warned about the copying and pasting addresses so he explained that checking the initial few characters is not enough to confirm that the addresses that were initially pasted is the same one that was copied. Stefanko stated:

‘’This dangerous form of malware first made its rounds in 2017 on the Windows platform and was spotted in shady Android app stores in the summer of 2018. In February 2019, we discovered a malicious clipper on Google Play, the official Android app store.’’

As far as the malware goes, this one is not a new one. However, it is capable to become quite dangerous and the fact that it is found on some important software that host sites which only confirm that researchers are right to be concerned. The malware discovered on Google Play Store impersonated MetaMAsk and can steal users’ Ethereum coins if they download the app. Ethereum coins are usually targeted by hackers and stolen from the users’ private wallet or from crypto exchanges such as UpBit.

Bitcoin is still one of the most used coins and therefore the most targeted. The largest crypto exchanges such as Binance failed to defend a hacking attack which only shows how innovative the attackers have become.