New Trojan Targets Bitcoin Wallets
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Privacy advocates and seedy characters on the edge of Internet legality alike use Bitcoins as their virtual currency of choice. The anonymous, decentralized P2P nature of Bitcoins lets you transfer money without ever having to contact a bank or even know the true identity of the person on the other end of the transaction. Recent events have dragged the shadowy currency into the light of public scrutiny, and now its squirming users have another headache to deal with: a trojan designed specifically to pilfer your Bitcoin wallet.
The malware goes by the name Infostealer.Coinbit. Once it works its way onto a Windows PC, the program checks the default location for Bitcoin's wallet.dat file. Your wallet contains the encryption keys that are essential to Bitcoin transactions. If the trojan finds a wallet, it sends the data file to the attackers.
"If you use Bitcoins, you have the option to encrypt your wallet and we recommend that you choose a strong password for this in the event that an attacker is attempting to brute-force your wallet open," Symantec's Stephen Doherty said on the company's blog.
Sounds like a smart move to us, especially since there are sure to be even more attempts to swindle Bitcoins out from under your nose in the future. Earlier this week, a man claimed to have $500,000 worth of Bitcoins stolen from his e-wallet. One of the currency's selling points is its non-centralized structure, but remember that lack of oversight that seems so awesome in theory means that you have nobody to turn to when some jerk steals your encryption keys.
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thinkweis
June 21, 2011 at 9:01pm
Bitcoin Trojans are becoming a serious issue and putting a lot of currency into an online wallet is very risky. I made a site showing in detail how to create a secure bitcoin wallet you can keep on a thumb drive. It is very detailed and usable by the biggest newbies out there.
schneider1492
June 20, 2011 at 2:44am
A wise man once said "a lock keeps an honest man honest, but a thief will get you no matter what!"
Silencer
June 18, 2011 at 6:11am
Reporting on things like these, helps us help others, understand the limits of trust to place in our new technologies. Thanks!
"...you have nobody to turn to when..."...
Sounds like a bad investment. PayPal's still around I think, LOL! :O)
Holly Golightly
June 17, 2011 at 9:58pm
Sigh, we are never free from these damn hackers. With all this hacking, it makes me worried about any financial transactions on the internet. I guess there is no hiding from crimminals... Whether this money can be fake or real, they are just out there to give you a hard time. Hopefully there will be an even more, secured way to anonymously have financial transactions. Free from hackers and politicians which both seem to enjoy taxing away our happiness. I guess there is always cash.
don2041
June 17, 2011 at 11:33am
Remember the good old days when your money was in your pocket and security was supplied buy smith & wesson
Ghok
June 17, 2011 at 1:13pm
Yup, good old days when half your kids died before they were adults.
I agree with the sentiment... I use cash whenever possible.
don2041
June 17, 2011 at 1:21pm
Perhaps if they wernt trying to steal wallets they would still be alive
schneider1492
June 20, 2011 at 2:29am
ya because a criminal wouldn't shoot you than take your wallet as you lay dieing!
Happy
June 17, 2011 at 1:49pm
I think what he meant was that the good old days weren't really so good because lots of people died young from diseases that are easily curable today.
Ghok
June 17, 2011 at 2:00pm
Yeah. While the present day may have disadvantages such as electronic crime or stricter gun laws (among many other things) it also was full of things like sexism, racism, disease, poverty... which we tend to gloss over in nostalgia.
don2041
June 17, 2011 at 3:47pm
Sexism, racism,disease,poverty, You talk as though these things are gone. All four of these are alive and thriving all over the planet. Not to mention human trafficking,Samolian pirates,genocides and the list goes on.
schneider1492
June 20, 2011 at 2:32am
and all those things happened back then as well, it was just acceptable back then.
Ghok
June 18, 2011 at 1:15pm
No. I speak relatively. This is the second time you've missed that. I don't have any belief that any of those things are gone, mearly that for many of us (especially those who are able to read these posts) life is generally a lot better in the present day.
Brad Chacos
June 17, 2011 at 11:03am
When there's money involved, it's always only a matter of time.
TerribleToaster
June 17, 2011 at 11:47am
Particularly so when your money is in what is the equivalent of a safe that was not bolted to the floor. No need to know a combination when you can just pick up the safe and leave.
It's the very first rule of security. Walls over padlocks.
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