Security experts from the Zscaler ThreatLabZ team came across a new trojan called InnfiRAT, which is written in .NET and designed to perform specific tasks from an infected machine.
As with just about every piece of malware, it is designed to steal personal information on a user's computer. Among other things, InnfiRAT is written to look for cryptocurrency wallet information, such as Bitcoin and Litecoin. InnfiRAT obtains browser cookies to access stored usernames and passwords, as well as session data. Furthermore, it is capable of grabbing screenshots of information from open windows. For example, if the user is reading email, the malware is able a screenshot. It also checks for other applications running on the system, such as an active antivirus program.
As the value of cryptocurrency and adoption grows, malware targeting cryptocurrency users will be more prevalent. Therefore, we have made it our company's mission to educate our customers on the best practice to store your digital assets. The following are some tips we would like to share:
1. Never write your private keys and recovery seed phrases in any devices that will be connected to the internet. Hackers can retrieve your stored data if they gain access to your device.
2. Writing your private keys and recovery seed phrases on a piece of paper is generally a better practice in terms of security. However, paper wallets cannot withstand wear and tear (nor fire, water and etc...)
3. One of the most value for money approach we recommend is to store your coins in a cold storage hardware wallet like Ledger and Trezor. The private keys are stored in the device and they are kept offline.
4. Thereafter, get a Hardware Wallet Backup Tool like Stronghodl (safe from fire, floods, and earthquakes) to store the recovery seed phrases of your hardware wallet. ``
5. In the event when your hardware wallet is lost or stolen (there is a pin protecting your device and the delays between entries get longer, so the thief would not be able to crack your device quickly), you can use the recovery seed phrase kept inside Stronghodl to restore another hardware wallet and transfer all your coins out to a new and unrelated address.
Do send us a shoutout if you have any questions regarding hardware wallets and securing cryptocurrencies in general!