Zcash Community Discovers Likely Malicious Fake Version of ZecWallet

Published at: Oct. 21, 2019

Members of the Zcash (ZEC) community have discovered a suspicious and potentially malicious counterfeit version of Zcash Foundation’s native ZecWallet.

According to a Twitter post published on Oct. 20 and retweeted by Zcash developer Electric Coin Company, the fake ZecWallet likely contains malware. The tweet reads:

“PSA to all Zcash users! There is a fake version of ZecWallet that likely contains malware (size and checksum is different) double check you are downloading from official @zecwallet repo on GitHub: https://github.com/ZcashFoundation/zecwallet”

As Cointelegraph reported on Sept. 29, a bug was found in all Zcash implementations and most of its forks that could leak metadata containing the full nodes’ with shielded addresses IPs.

On Oct. 18, major antivirus software supplier ESET has discovered a “trojanized” version of Tor Browser designed to steal Bitcoin (BTC) from buyers in the darknet. 

Targeting users in Russia, the fake Tor Browser was distributed via two websites and has been stealing crypto from darknet shoppers by swapping the original crypto addresses since 2017.

Earlier in October, ESET also flagged another form of malware stealing crypto from users. Called “Casbaneiro” or “Metamorfo,” the banking trojan targeted banks and crypto services located in Brazil and Mexico and has allegedly stolen 1.2 BTC at the time.

Tags
Altcoin
Hackers
Privacy
Zcash
Malware
Related Posts
Hackers Have Been Using Dogecoin to Deploy Malware for 6 Months & No One Noticed
A new study indicates that hackers are actively relying on the Dogecoin (DOGE) blockchain to expand a malware payload named “Doki.” According to cybersecurity researchers at Intezer, Doki is a fully undetected backdoor that abuses the Dogecoin blockchain “in a unique way” in order to generate its C2 domain address and breach cloud servers. It is deployed through a botnet called Ngrok. These domain addresses are used by the malware to search for additional vulnerable cloud servers within the network of the victim. Intezer’s study explains further about the deployment of the attack: “The attacker controls which address the malware …
Technology / July 30, 2020
Watch Out for This Cryptojacking Botnet That Steals Data From Its Victims
The threat intelligence team at Cisco Systems discovered a new cryptojacking botnet named “Prometei.” This botnet both mines Monero (XMR) and steals data from the targeted system. According to the paper sent to Cointelegraph, the botnet has been active since May. It relies on 15 executable modules to recover administrator passwords from the infected computer. Password validity is verified by sending them to a control server connected to other networks. Once the malware has obtained access to the user’s administrative rights, it proceeds to record all data contained within the system. Cisco Talos estimates this botnet may contain up to …
Technology / July 22, 2020
Despite Bear Market, Crypto Mining Malware Tops Threat Index for 13th Month Running
Three strains of crypto mining malware have topped the latest Global Threat Index from Israeli cybersecurity firm Check Point, according to a press release published on Jan. 14. Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. is a security solution provider for governments and enterprises globally, with over 100,000 organizations reported to be currently using its security management system. As reported, stealth crypto mining attacks — also known as cryptojacking — work by installing malware that uses a computer’s processing power to mine for cryptocurrencies without the owner’s consent or knowledge. According to Check Point’s Global Threat Index for December 2018, the top …
Altcoin / Jan. 14, 2019
ZEC price jumps 20% in one day as Zcash devs unveil transition to Proof-of-Stake
Zcash (ZEC) surged by nearly 20% in the past 24 hours, helped by the euphoria surrounding its core protocol's decisive transition from Proof-of-Work (PoW) to Proof-of-Stake (PoS). The ZEC price logged an intraday high at $188.80 on Binance after rising two days in a row by more than 27%. The cryptocurrency's move upside also wiped out a big portion of the losses it had faced earlier this week, in the wake of a downside retracement across the crypto market. ZEC price jumped after the cryptocurrency's main developer, Electric Coin Company (ECC), announced that it would move Zcash's protocol from PoW …
Bitcoin Price / Nov. 20, 2021
Edward Snowden reveals he was one of six who helped launch Zcash
Cybersecurity poster boy and government surveillance whistleblower Edward Snowden has revealed he played a pivotal role in the creation of privacy token Zcash (ZEC). A video from Zcash Media featured an interview with Snowden where he outlined his involvement as one of the six individuals who had a piece of the Zcash multisignature private key to launch the project on October 23, 2016. In the video, Snowden stated: “My name is Edward Snowden. I participated in the Zcash original ceremony under the pseudonym John Dobbertin.” Edward Snowden is the whistleblower who revealed United States government surveillance tactics and went into …
Altcoin / April 28, 2022