New Version Of Jupyter Malware Spotted In The Wild. Researchers from cybersecurity company Morphisec have recently discovered a new strain of malware they believe has been in the wild of the internet since at least May of this year (2020).
The New Version Of Jupyter Malware has an Info Stealer classification. It focuses on getting into user names, passwords, and other private systems and exfiltrating that data to a server the hackers’ control.
As malware goes, the Jupyter Malware strain certainly isn’t the worst or most destructive we’ve ever seen. However, armed with a sufficient number of your passwords, the hackers can wreak untold havoc on your life, so it’s a threat you should take seriously.
Of interest, Jupyter Malware seems to target Chromium Firefox and Google Chrome Browsers preferentially, so if you’re not using either of those, your risk of running afoul of this strain is relatively low. Unfortunately, Chrome is far from the most popular browser on the web today, which means the vast majority of netizens are at risk.
How Jupyter Malware ends up on your computer
The Jupyter Malware is most commonly a zip file. It utilizes Microsoft Word Icons inside the zip, with the file names sending out the conspicuous message to open immediately.
Suppose an unsuspecting victim heads down this path. The Jupyter Malware installs behind the scenes and promptly begins rooting through the now compromised system looking for user names, passwords, browsing history, cookies, and the like. Once there’s a discovery of the Jupyter Malware, everything of interest, they bundle and send off to a command and control server where they combine them with other data from other compromising systems, so they port them to the Dark Web for sale.
Based on an early analysis of the Jupyter code, the research team believes this new strain to be of Russian origin, but to this point, they have not traced it back to a specific threat actor. In any case, be aware that Jupyter Malware is out there and to stay vigilant.