Government Websites Hit By Cryptojacking Malware

Thousands of websites, including those belonging to NHS services, the Student Loans Company and several English councils, have been infected by malware that forces visitors’ computers to mine cryptocurrency while using the site.

Various media outlets reported on Monday (12th February 2018), that the crypto jacking script was inserted into website codes through BrowseAloud, a plug-in that helps out the blind & partially-sighted people access the web.

More than 5,000 websites including the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), Student Loans Company and local authority sites have been flooded by the malware. Software known as Coinhive, which steadily utilizes the processing power of a user’s device to mine open-source cryptocurrency Monero, appears to have been injected into the compromised BrowseAloud plug-in.

Scott Helme, an IT security consultant, raised the alarm regarding the malware attack once he received a message from a friend whose antivirus software had identified an issue after visiting a UK government website.

Helme interacted with Sky News and said:

“This kind of attack is not new but this is the major attack I have seen so far. A single company being hacked that means thousands of website got affected across the UK, Ireland & United States.

National Cyber Security Centre spokesperson stated:

NCSC TECHNICAL EXPERT IS EXAMINING THE DATA THAT WAS RELATED TO THE INCIDENT OF MALWARE BEING USED TO ILLICITLY MINE CRYPTOCURRENCY.

“The affected service has been taken offline, mainly mitigating the issue. Government websites continue to function securely. At this stage, there is nothing to suggest that members of the public are at risk.”

The news came in the middle of several warnings of similar malware propagation throughout the world that includes Monero mining malware contaminating Android devices.

In the month of Jan, news media reported that how third parties have used YouTube to mine cryptocurrency by hijacking Google’s Double-click advertising platform.