Cybersecurity Threats on Forex Trading and Cryptocurrencies
Cybercrime in the Forex Trading Industry
While cyber-attacks have become a common occurrence in today’s world, they have had catastrophic consequences in the past as well. Is forex trading impenetrable to hackers, as the question suggests? Alternatively, is forex trading immune to attackers, and how safe is it? In a nutshell, forex trading, like any other online platform, is susceptible to cyber-attacks, which can have a wide range of consequences depending on their nature. The following are examples of cybercrimes that may occur in forex trading.
To begin, malicious hackers may gain access to the passwords and usernames of forex trading accounts through phishing scams. Because they have this access, they can engage in unauthorized transactions such as currency trading and stock trading. Once this action has been completed, the hackers transfer the funds to their newly created accounts, which they then close at the end of their mandate. Additionally, hackers may gain access to the forex trader’s net worth as well as their trading strategy. This serves as the first step in strategizing the next step to gain access to their databases and collect the money owed to them.
Apart from that, malicious users can intercept and alter values in a trading framework, such as the bid and ask prices of a forex tool, and thus influence a trader to initiate a move based on fictitious data or information. Apart from that, companies that trade on financial markets are not excluded. They are extremely vulnerable to malware attacks, as well as other types of attacks. They gain access to the company’s financial databases, where they have the potential to cause significant financial losses to the company. In essence, hackers can gain access to a trader’s account, or a broker’s agency system, from which they can extract personal information, investment strategies, bank accounts, and any other critical information that they may deem beneficial to their financial interests.
On the subject of cryptocurrencies, cyber security threats exist.
Because of the anonymous nature of cryptocurrencies, unscrupulous individuals can engage in a variety of crooked activities, such as tax evasion and dirty money laundering businesses. Because cryptocurrencies are not regulated by central banks or governments, it is possible to see such. As a result, some experts believe that cryptocurrencies will have a short shelf life because they are not integrated into any tangible goods.
Value fluctuations, as well as the unpredictability of the cryptocurrency market, are the most serious threats to the cryptocurrency revolution. Aside from that, many governments are still skeptical of the new craze, and as a result, they are putting up roadblocks to its implementation in the vast majority of countries throughout the world. The currency’s acceptance has not yet taken hold in the community.
There have been several data breaches that have affected cryptocurrency companies such as Bitcoin in the recent past. At the heart of each breach are access control mechanisms that must have malfunctioned in the system for the violation to take place. One of the primary factors contributing to cryptocurrencies becoming a significant target for cybercriminals is their anonymity and the ease with which they can be monetized.
Cryptocurrency jacking
JavaScript is the programming language used by cybercriminals in this instance to commit this type of crime. What happens is that as soon as a visitor opens a website, their computer automatically begins the process of mining cryptocurrencies. The CPU provides the processing power necessary to carry out this activity, but it is completely unaware of it. Hackers use the Coinhive script to make this process easier for them. The Monero digital currency is mined through the use of this method.
Ransomware
Malicious software that is used to encrypt all of the files stored on a computer is known as ransomware. To decrypt the data, a key is required, and to obtain the key, a ransom amount must first be paid. This sum of money must be in the form of a digital currency such as bitcoin. The crime is carried out in such a way that the specialist disappears with the money that has been paid to them and it becomes impossible to track him or her down. Many organizations and businesses have been brought to their knees as a result of this malware.
