Cryptocurrency-mining botnet uses a Taylor Swift image to hide malware payloads

The operators of a cryptocurrency-mining botnet are currently using an image of pop singer Taylor Swift to hide malware payloads they send to infected computers — as part of their normal infection chain.

The name of the botnet is MyKingz, also known as Smominru, DarkCloud, or Hexmen, depending on the cyber-security firm whose report you’re reading.

A short history of the MiKingz botnet

MyKingz was first spotted in late 2017. Since then, the botnet has been the largest crypto-mining malware operation on the market.

The group behind MyKingz primarily focuses on infecting Windows systems, where they deploy various cryptocurrency-mining apps, which they use to generate profits by an infected device’s resources.

The botnet features one of the most diversified internet scanning and infection mechanisms seen in malware botnets. If there’s a port or vulnerability to be scanned or exploited,…