Detecting cryptomining attacks "in the wild"

Cryptomining attacks, fueled by the rise of blockchain and cryptocurrencies, pose a significant threat to cloud and Kubernetes environments due to their inherent openness and available compute power. The article highlights the importance of detecting such attacks early, using open-source tools like Falco for monitoring Indicators of Compromise (IoC) and Prometheus for health activity metrics. It discusses a high-profile cryptomining attack on Tesla's Kubernetes cluster, illustrating vulnerabilities such as unprotected dashboards and sensitive credential exposure. The article further explains various evasion techniques attackers use, such as minimizing CPU usage and encrypting communications, and details how Falco can detect suspicious network activity and file system changes. Moreover, it emphasizes the necessity of a multi-layered detection strategy, combining rule-based policies with machine learning to identify cryptomining activities effectively. The integration of Sysdig Secure's Cloud Detection & Response platform with Falco's managed ruleset aims to improve incident response times and enhance security against the increasingly complex cloud threat landscape.