There has never been a shortage of malware or other tools which try to harm computer users. A new type of malicious software has researchers somewhat concerned. As has become the norm, the tool mainly targets Windows users. Its purposes include mining cryptocurrency, stealing data, and lurking in the shadows of the Windows operating system.
L0rdix is a Genuine Piece of Work
Over the past few years, there has been a significant increase in malware distribution. Ever since cryptocurrencies became a lot more popular, the number of malicious software packages has risen accordingly. While there may not necessarily be a cause and effect in this regard, no one will deny both of these trends have overlapped on many different occasions.
This somewhat unusual correlation only becomes more apparent as new types of malware are discovered. Tools capable of either stealing or mining cryptocurrencies have slowly become the new norm, which is a worrisome trend in its own regard. There is also an increase in multi-purpose tools which primarily focus on obtaining cryptocurrencies on behalf of the criminals. L0rdix is one such example.
To put this in perspective, the L0rdix malware strain has been discovered a few weeks ago. Researchers have confirmed it combines many different aspects, which make it a very dangerous tool first and foremost. Its most worrisome aspect is how it can evade detection by anti-malware tools. That is not entirely uncommon in the malware industry these days, but it is still very problematic first and foremost.
Other capabilities of L0rdix include malicious cryptocurrency mining and stealing data. Unlike what as initially assumed, the toolkit does not boast any ransomware capabilities at this point. That doesn’t mean a future revised version of L0rdix wouldn’t necessarily include that functionality. Considering how it is designed to target Windows computers, its capabilities may very well be expanded upon.
As one would come to expect, obtaining this malware has become very easy these days. Anyone who frequents darknet markets may have come across a listing for this new tool. With a price tag of just $60, it is also one of the more affordable types of malware to be bought right now. This “open access” can quickly turn L0rdix into a very big problem for a lot of users.
For the time being, the malware has not been countered by any anti-malware solutions on the market. That can pose a few problems, as L0rdix is also capable of infecting other hosts, including removable storage, network drives, and other computers on a network. Moreover, it also boasts botnet capabilities, which makes it an even bigger threat to contend with. Some abilities can also be repurposed to execute DDoS attacks, which is something else to worry about.
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