From poisoned search results to GPU mining: A cryptojacking campaign abusing ScreenConnect and Microsoft .NET utilities

Microsoft exposes a cryptojacking campaign using SEO poisoning and ScreenConnect to target high-performance PCs, with malicious sites also surfaced through AI chatbots. The post From poisoned search results to GPU mining: A cryptojacking campaign abusing ScreenConnect and Microsoft .NET utilities appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog .

In this article Attack chain overview Mitigation and protection guidance References Learn more Microsoft Defender Experts identified an active cryptojacking campaign in which malicious download sites are surfaced not only through traditional search engine poisoning, but also through AI chatbot interactions. This emerging delivery technique extends social engineering beyond conventional search results and increases the visibility of malicious software recommendations.

The campaign impersonates trusted system utilities including CrystalDiskInfo, HWMonitor, Display Driver Uninstaller, FurMark, K-Lite Codec Pack, and PDFgear to target users likely to own high-performance GPUs. Rather than maximizing infection volume, the threat actor appears focused on compromising systems with higher mining value.