Researchers on Thursday discovered the well-known cryptomining bot LemonDuck focusing on Docker cloud situations to mine cryptocurrency on Linux platforms.
In a weblog publish, the CrowdStrike Cloud Menace Analysis workforce mentioned the LemonDuck botnet tried to monetize its efforts by way of simultaneous campaigns to mine cryptocurrency like Monero.
The researchers say as a result of Docker primarily will get used to run container workloads within the cloud, a misconfigured cloud occasion can expose a Docker API to the web. Then, an attacker can exploit this API to run a cryptocurrency miner inside an attacker-controlled container.
As cloud adoption will increase throughout a number of industries the usage of assaults much like it will proceed to develop, mentioned Dave Cundiff, CISO at Cyvatar. Cundiff mentioned Docker and different instruments of its type are extraordinarily helpful in enhancing day-to-day workflow for organizations to satisfy the rising wants of their clients. Nevertheless, Cundiff mentioned directors typically miscalculate the necessity for safety inside containerized environments.
“Containers present for the flexibility to raised safe environments, however some easy misconfigurations might enable for a lot of these assaults,” Cundiff mentioned. “As proven within the CrowdStrike report, an incorrectly uncovered API to the web permits the attackers to make the most of the goal infrastructure after which pivot internally to different containers. Good hygiene of your environments is at all times the very best first step to guard environments.”
Whereas Docker gives a excessive diploma of programmability, flexibility and automation it has an unintended aspect impact of accelerating the assault floor, mentioned Ratan Tipirneni, president and CEO at Tigera. Tipirneni mentioned it’s very true as container applied sciences get adopted extra broadly by the mainstream market.
“This creates a tender goal for adversaries to compromise Docker because it unlocks plenty of compute energy for cryptomining,” Tipirneni mentioned. “Given the excessive diploma of programmability, flexibility and automation in cloud infrastructure, an attacker can use Docker situations because the preliminary level of entry after which have the flexibility to maneuver laterally to your complete cloud infrastructure.”
John Bambenek, principal menace hunter at Netenrich, mentioned Docker and different automated methods are concept for cryptocurrency as they’re unprotected and considered as not overly important. So long as the Docker occasion isn’t processing essential information, it’s usually considered as an unimportant DevOps instruments, so it turns into low-hanging fruit, Bambenek defined.
“Finally, organizations want to manage their DevOps sources and handle their cloud spend,” Bambenek mentioned. “The administration doesn’t need to be strict. Cloud firms ought to disable cryptocurrency mining usually. I can’t consider a single enterprise that has a enterprise have to mine Monero in a Docker job. It’s not precisely worthwhile.”
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