Kinsing Crypto Malware Hits Kubernetes Clusters via Misconfigured PostgreSQL
Jan 09, 2023
Kubernetes / Cryptojacking
The threat actors behind the Kinsing cryptojacking operation have been spotted exploiting misconfigured and exposed PostgreSQL servers to obtain initial access to Kubernetes environments. A second initial access vector technique entails the use of vulnerable images, Sunders Bruskin, security researcher at Microsoft Defender for Cloud, said in a report last week. Kinsing has a storied history of targeting containerized environments , often leveraging misconfigured open Docker daemon API ports as well as abusing newly disclosed exploits to drop cryptocurrency mining software. The threat actor, in the past, has also been discovered employing a rootkit to hide its presence, in addition to terminating and uninstalling competing resource-intensive services and processes. Now according to Microsoft, misconfigurations in PostgreSQL servers have been co-opted by the Kinsing actor to gain an initial foothold, with the company observing a "large amount of clusters" infe