Unified Multi-Layered Model To Secure Computing Environments Against Cryptomining Malware
Rohan Sharma, Swapna M P · 2023
Cryptocurrencies have transformed our financial system from centralized to decentralized. Cryptojacking is a mechanism by which the attacker utilizes the resources of an anonymous system without the consent of the owner to mine cryptocurrency. Cryptojacking can occur via malware or as an in-browser attack. Malware-based cryptojacking is more dangerous and this type of attack is still prevalent, as attackers constantly develop new obfuscation techniques to exploit infrastructure. This paper focuses on the analysis and detection of malware-based cryptojacking attacks. Hybrid analysis is used to understand the structure and behavior of the malware file and accordingly, a unified multi layered machine-learning model is developed based on multiple datasets and achieved 0.996 accuracy. The novelty of the proposed work and scale of cryptojacking threat, is an eye opener for further research in this area.