Malware That Infects Windows Clipboard Compromises 2.3M BTC Addresses

About 2.3 million Bitcoin (BTC) users had their crypto information compromised when attackers exploited their addresses through a malware designed to infect Windows clipboard, according to Cointelegraph.

Called the Cryptocurrency Clipboard Hijackers, the malicious software operates by surreptitiously taking over a computer’s memory, hiding in the background to avoid detection. When compromised users try to copy their BTC address through the clipboard, the malware will swap that address with the one the attacker is using.

This will then result in the victims mistakenly sending cryptocurrencies to the hacker’s account. Bleeping Computer pointed out that users will notice this sort of attack only when they thoroughly check the pasted address.

This sort of malware belongs to the “clipboard hijackers” category, which infects Windows clipboard if it manages to gain access to a computer. Bleeping Computer said that apart from double-checking the address, users can protect themselves from this sort of attack by having an updated antivirus.

Cryptojacking incidents and other hacking activities have seen a rise in this industry with more high-profile heists breaking out. Last month, two South Korean cryptocurrency exchanges were hit by hackers where the culprits took a collective bounty of $68.5 million.

One of the exchanges, Bithumb, said that the losses incurred – which amounted to about $32 million – would not affect its clients' assets. It added that it wanted to make it clear that company and client assets form two separate entities.

As for the compromised BTC accounts, no reports about actual theft have been reported for now. Nevertheless, the users are still cautioned to be vigilant about the situation, especially when Bitcoin is currently gaining traction.

As of now, BTC has broken the $6,500 mark, with the cryptocurrency trading at $6,612 as of this writing. Malware that infects Windows clipboard is but one of the many threats that BTC users face in the crypto sphere, and cybersecurity experts are suggesting that attacks like this one will only occur more often from here.