Go-Based Malware Deploys XMRig Miner on Linux Hosts via Redis Configuration Abuse
May 20, 2025
Linux / Cryptojacking
Cybersecurity researchers are calling attention to a new Linux cryptojacking campaign that's targeting publicly accessible Redis servers. The malicious activity has been codenamed RedisRaider by Datadog Security Labs. "RedisRaider aggressively scans randomized portions of the IPv4 space and uses legitimate Redis configuration commands to execute malicious cron jobs on vulnerable systems," security researchers Matt Muir and Frederic Baguelin said . The end goal of the campaign is to drop a Go-based primary payload that's responsible for unleashing an XMRig miner on compromised systems. The activity entails using a bespoke scanner to identify publicly accessible Redis servers across the internet and then issuing an INFO command to determine if the instances are running on a Linux host. If it's found to be the case, the scanning algorithm proceeds to abuse Redis's SET command to inject a cron job. The malware then uses the CONFIG command to change the Redi...