Chainalysis has recently warned that a rise in cheap and easy to use malware has resulted in a rise of cryptocurrency theft. Crytocurrency has been a popular target for cybercriminals, whether they are stealing it via cryptocurrency exchanges or demanding it as an extortion payment in ransomware attacks. The growing value and use of cryptocurrency means that criminals increasingly launch attacks that aim to steal the money from the digital wallets of individual users. Chainalysis states that cryptocurrency users are under threat from malware like information steals, clippers, and trojans. Malware clippers allow attackers to replace text that the user has copied. All of these types of malware are available on dark web sites for relatively small amounts of money.

One information stealer called Redline is advertised on Russian cybercrime forums for $150 a month. For cybercriminals seeking to steal cryptocurrency, it is likely that they will make the money they paid for the malware back within the span of a few attacks. Chainalysis’ report states that the cheap access to malware families such as Redline means that even low-skilled cybercriminals can use them to steal cryptocurrency from unassuming targets. For crypto users, the threat continues to grow.

Read More: Cheap malware is behind a rise in attacks on cryptocurrency wallets