Skip to content

T1496.001 Compute Hijacking

Adversaries may leverage the compute resources of co-opted systems to complete resource-intensive tasks, which may impact system and/or hosted service availability.

One common purpose for Compute Hijacking is to validate transactions of cryptocurrency networks and earn virtual currency. Adversaries may consume enough system resources to negatively impact and/or cause affected machines to become unresponsive.3 Servers and cloud-based systems are common targets because of the high potential for available resources, but user endpoint systems may also be compromised and used for Compute Hijacking and cryptocurrency mining.2 Containerized environments may also be targeted due to the ease of deployment via exposed APIs and the potential for scaling mining activities by deploying or compromising multiple containers within an environment or cluster.14

Additionally, some cryptocurrency mining malware identify then kill off processes for competing malware to ensure it’s not competing for resources.5

Item Value
ID T1496.001
Sub-techniques T1496.001, T1496.002, T1496.003, T1496.004
Tactics TA0040
Platforms Containers, IaaS, Linux, Windows, macOS
Version 1.0
Created 25 September 2024
Last Modified 15 April 2025

Procedure Examples

ID Name Description
G0096 APT41 APT41 deployed a Monero cryptocurrency mining tool in a victim’s environment.2122
G0108 Blue Mockingbird Blue Mockingbird has used XMRIG to mine cryptocurrency on victim systems.17
S0486 Bonadan Bonadan can download an additional module which has a cryptocurrency mining extension.10
S0492 CookieMiner CookieMiner has loaded coinmining software onto systems to mine for Koto cryptocurrency. 9
S1111 DarkGate DarkGate can deploy follow-on cryptocurrency mining payloads.12
S0601 Hildegard Hildegard has used xmrig to mine cryptocurrency.1
S0434 Imminent Monitor Imminent Monitor has the capability to run a cryptocurrency miner on the victim machine.6
S0599 Kinsing Kinsing has created and run a Bitcoin cryptocurrency miner.1413
S0451 LoudMiner LoudMiner harvested system resources to mine cryptocurrency, using XMRig to mine Monero.11
S0532 Lucifer Lucifer can use system resources to mine cryptocurrency, dropping XMRig to mine Monero.7
G0106 Rocke Rocke has distributed cryptomining malware.1516
C0045 ShadowRay During ShadowRay, threat actors leveraged graphics processing units (GPU) on compromised nodes for cryptocurrency mining.23
S0468 Skidmap Skidmap is a kernel-mode rootkit used for cryptocurrency mining.8
G0139 TeamTNT TeamTNT has deployed XMRig Docker images to mine cryptocurrency.2018 TeamTNT has also infected Docker containers and Kubernetes clusters with XMRig, and used RainbowMiner and lolMiner for mining cryptocurrency.19

References

  1. Chen, J. et al. (2021, February 3). Hildegard: New TeamTNT Cryptojacking Malware Targeting Kubernetes. Retrieved April 5, 2021. ↩↩

  2. CloudSploit. (2019, June 8). The Danger of Unused AWS Regions. Retrieved October 8, 2019. ↩

  3. GReAT. (2017, April 3). Lazarus Under the Hood. Retrieved April 17, 2019. ↩

  4. Oliveira, A. (2019, May 30). Infected Containers Target Docker via Exposed APIs. Retrieved April 6, 2021. ↩

  5. Oliveira, A., Fiser, D. (2020, September 10). War of Linux Cryptocurrency Miners: A Battle for Resources. Retrieved April 6, 2021. ↩

  6. Unit 42. (2019, December 2). Imminent Monitor – a RAT Down Under. Retrieved May 5, 2020. ↩

  7. Hsu, K. et al. (2020, June 24). Lucifer: New Cryptojacking and DDoS Hybrid Malware Exploiting High and Critical Vulnerabilities to Infect Windows Devices. Retrieved November 16, 2020. ↩

  8. Remillano, A., Urbanec, J. (2019, September 19). Skidmap Linux Malware Uses Rootkit Capabilities to Hide Cryptocurrency-Mining Payload. Retrieved June 4, 2020. ↩

  9. Chen, y., et al. (2019, January 31). Mac Malware Steals Cryptocurrency Exchanges’ Cookies. Retrieved July 22, 2020. ↩

  10. Dumont, R., M.Léveillé, M., Porcher, H. (2018, December 1). THE DARK SIDE OF THE FORSSHE A landscape of OpenSSH backdoors. Retrieved July 16, 2020. ↩

  11. Malik, M. (2019, June 20). LoudMiner: Cross-platform mining in cracked VST software. Retrieved May 18, 2020. ↩

  12. Adi Zeligson & Rotem Kerner. (2018, November 13). Enter The DarkGate - New Cryptocurrency Mining and Ransomware Campaign. Retrieved February 9, 2024. ↩

  13. Huang, K. (2020, November 23). Zoom into Kinsing. Retrieved April 1, 2021. ↩

  14. Singer, G. (2020, April 3). Threat Alert: Kinsing Malware Attacks Targeting Container Environments. Retrieved April 1, 2021. ↩

  15. Liebenberg, D.. (2018, August 30). Rocke: The Champion of Monero Miners. Retrieved May 26, 2020. ↩

  16. Xingyu, J.. (2019, January 17). Malware Used by Rocke Group Evolves to Evade Detection by Cloud Security Products. Retrieved May 26, 2020. ↩

  17. Lambert, T. (2020, May 7). Introducing Blue Mockingbird. Retrieved May 26, 2020. ↩

  18. Cado Security. (2020, August 16). Team TNT – The First Crypto-Mining Worm to Steal AWS Credentials. Retrieved September 22, 2021. ↩

  19. Darin Smith. (2022, April 21). TeamTNT targeting AWS, Alibaba. Retrieved August 4, 2022. ↩

  20. Stroud, J. (2021, May 25). Taking TeamTNT’s Docker Images Offline. Retrieved September 16, 2024. ↩

  21. Fraser, N., et al. (2019, August 7). Double DragonAPT41, a dual espionage and cyber crime operation APT41. Retrieved September 23, 2019. ↩

  22. Mandiant. (n.d.). APT41, A DUAL ESPIONAGE AND CYBER CRIME OPERATION. Retrieved June 11, 2024. ↩

  23. Lumelsly, A. et al. (2024, March 26). ShadowRay: First Known Attack Campaign Targeting AI Workloads Actively Exploited In The Wild. Retrieved December 2, 2024. ↩