DDoS attacks fall as cryptomining grows due to soaring Bitcoin prices

NEW DELHI: The recent surge in cryptocurrency prices, particularly those of Bitcoin, has made cryptojacking the top priority for cybercriminals, resulting in a dip in Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. The number of DDoS attacks detected by Kaspersky in December quarter fell 31% sequentially, the cybersecurity firm said.

Security researchers at Kaspersky have attributed the drop in DDoS to growing interest in cryptocurrency mining, as hackers look to take advantage of the sudden rise in cryptocurrency prices.

Cybercriminals are believed to be re-profiling some botnets so that the Control and Command (C&C) servers could re-purpose infected devices and use their computing power to mine cryptocurrencies, instead of using them for DDoS attacks.