Cryptojacking Attempts Surge by 43% in 2022, SonicWall Report Reveals

Cryptojacking attempts have seen a significant rise in 2022, according to the “2023 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report”. The report recorded 139.3 million attempts, a 43% increase from the 97.1 million in 2021. This marks the first time that cryptojacking attempts have crossed the 100-million threshold.

The report indicates that cryptojacking volume increased in North America, Asia, and Europe. However, Latin America saw a 66% drop in such attempts. Despite the rise in Europe, the United States remained the country with the highest volume of cryptojacking attempts, witnessing a 41% year-over-year increase.

Among industries, retail experienced the highest total cryptojacking attack volumes. Education, finance, healthcare, and government sectors followed. Cryptojacking involves unauthorized use of a victim’s computing power for cryptocurrency mining.

Notable cryptojacking incidents include the exploitation of Tesla’s cloud system in 2018 and the discovery of a cryptojacking code on the Los Angeles Times Homicide Report page. In both cases, hackers used the victims’ systems to mine the cryptocurrency Monero.

The SonicWall’s Threat Mindset survey revealed that 66% of organizations were more concerned about cyberattacks in 2022 than in previous years. Ransomware topped the list of cyber attack concerns, with cryptojacking ranking seventh.

To combat cryptojacking, SonicWall recommends keeping computers and web browsers updated, using reputable anti-malware software, regularly updating antivirus and security software, and educating users about email and attachment safety. Additional measures include preventing unauthorized downloads, using ad blockers, implementing strong authentication, and using anti-bot protection.

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