Last week one ransomware virus called WannaCry created havoc across the globe by creeping into the computers of significant organizations and companies, such as NHS. The malware blocked all data in those systems and caused great inconvenience. Now, just within few days of the attack, experts have come across another disturbing piece of information, which states that cyber criminals are probably working on a new cyber threat called Adylkuzz and its effects are going to be even worse.
According to Daily Mail, initial information on Adylkuzz suggest that this virus could infect hundreds of thousands of computers worldwide, however, it is still not clear which systems would be targeted.
Sunnyvale, California-based cyber security firm Proofpoint first flagged this potential cyber threat. They wrote on their website, 'We discovered another very large-scale attack using both EternalBlue and DoublePulsar to install the cryptocurrency miner Adylkuzz." It further added, "Initial statistics suggest that this attack may be larger in scale than WannaCry, affecting hundreds of thousands of PCs and servers worldwide."
According to Proofpoint, Adylkuzz attacks started before the WannaCry ransomware attack began on May 12, and some experts believe that several firms mistakenly believed that their systems were infected by WannaCry when it actually was Adylkuzz.
While describing the effects of Adylkuzz, Proofpoint wrote, "Symptoms of this attack include loss of access to shared Windows resources and degradation of PC and server performance."
Adylkuzz is essentially a 'cryptocurrency miner', which infects systems and generates cyber-money for the attackers.
According to Robert Holmes, product vice president at Proofpoint, "Unlike ransomware, no demands for money are made of victims. The malware is deliberately stealthy; users will only notice their Windows machine is running slowly and that they don't have access to shared Windows resources."
The cyber security firm also added that "This attack is ongoing and, while less flashy than WannaCry, is nonetheless quite large and potentially quite disruptive."
