What is Digmine? New malware is infecting Facebook Messenger users to secretly mine Monero

What is Digmine? New malware is infecting Facebook Messenger users to secretly mine Monero

The malware was first spotted infecting victims in South Korea but has since spread to other countries.

Hacking into a network

The malware installs a malicious Chrome extension that allows it access to victims' Facebook accounts and can send private messages to all their contacts

Cybercriminals are using Facebook Messenger to infect computers with malware that mines cryptocurrency. 

Security researchers the Trend Micro cyber security firm said "Digmine" is targeting as many machines as possible, in order to earn monero – an alternative to bitcoin – for its creators 

It could also help cyber criminals completely take over a Facebook account, the researchers added. 

A new self-propagating malware, dubbed as Digmine, that secretly mines the popular cryptocurrency and alternative to Bitcoin, Monero, has been found infecting Facebook Messenger users across the globe. Although security experts first spotted the malware targeting users in South Korea, it has since spread to other countries as well.

The malware is disguised as a video file, usually named "video_xxxx.zip", and installs a Monero miner as well as a malicious Chrome extension, which helps Digmine spread to other victims. So far, the malware has infected victims in Vietnam, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand and Venezuela. Security experts at Trend Micro, who discovered the malware, fear that given its current propagation, Digmine could also soon reach other countries.

“The increasing popularity of cryptocurrency mining is drawing attackers back to the mining botnet business,” said Trend Micro. 

“And like many cybercriminal schemes, numbers are crucial — bigger victim pools equate to potentially bigger profits. The fact that they’re piggybacking on popular platforms such as social media to spread their malware is unsurprising.”