Bitcoin Daily: Hackers Use Malware To Generate Crypto; Disney Could Acquire Stakes In Crypto Exchanges

Hackers are still using classified exploits built by the National Security Agency two years after they were stolen, this time to mine for cryptocurrency.

According to reports, security research firm Symantec saw an increase in a new malware called Beapy that attacks corporate networks to get the computers to mine for digital tokens. According to the report, Beapy was first seen in January and since then has increased to more than 12,000 unique infections covering 732 organization as of March. The malware is geared toward enterprises that have a lot of computers. When those are infected, a lot of money from mining can be generated.  Reports noted that in order for the malware to work, someone within the company has to open the scam email.  Meanwhile, The Next Web reported Thursday (April 25) that Beapy is infecting thousands of Asian enterprises. According to the report, the malware is even able to attack machines that are patched. “This campaign demonstrates that while crypto-jacking has declined in popularity with cybercriminals since its peak at the start of 2018, it is still a focus for some of them, with enterprises now their primary target,” Symantec said, according to the report.

In other cryptocurrency news, Cryptoinvest reported Thursday (April 25) Disney could acquire a majority stake in Nexon, the Korean gaming company. If the deal were to happen, Cryptoinvest reported, Disney could own stakes in Korbit and Bitstamp. Nexon has stakes in both Korbit, South Korea’s older exchange, and Bitstamp, the European cryptocurrency exchange operators. The reported talks are in the early stages, but Disney appears to be the front runner. The report noted that Nexon is planning on selling a stake in the company that is valued at $13.2 billion.  Disney isn’t the only one interested in the stake. The report noted Kakao Corp. and Tencent are also in the running. Disney has dipped its toes in blockchain with its Dragonchain project launched in 2016. But since then it hasn’t made many inroads, noted the report.

Bitcoin also got more support Thursday when Lil Pump, the U.S.-based rapper, announced he is accepting bitcoin as a payment method on his merchandise store. The payments can be made via the bitcoin Lightning Network, which is a way to send and receive bitcoin transactions instantly with lower fees. The acceptance by Lil Pump could give bitcoin a lift, reported Forbes.