{
  "id": 9024975,
  "title": "Hackers are hiding malware on blockchains that are nearly impossible to take down, and unrestricted AI models have pushed these attacks up 440%",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/hackers-are-hiding-malware-on-blockchains-that-are-nearly-impossible",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-21T22:40:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TechRadar",
    "slug": "techradar",
    "url": "https://www.techradar.com/pro/hackers-are-hiding-malware-on-blockchains-that-are-nearly-impossible-to-take-down-and-unrestricted-ai-models-have-pushed-these-attacks-up-440"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Cybercriminals are increasingly hiding malware instructions on blockchains, making it difficult to eradicate the attacks. According to Chainalysis, malicious blockchain activity has surged 440% due to the rise of advanced AI systems. Blockchain networks, distributed across networks, provide a persistent communication channel that cannot be removed by deleting a single server. Hackers utilize blockchain dead drops, leveraging transaction data or smart contracts as lookup points, allowing infected computers to retrieve commands, addresses, or configuration information. This technique enables attackers to maintain communication with compromised computers without relying on conventional servers. Criminal groups from North Korea, Iran, and Russia have exploited these techniques, embedding encoded routing information inside Bitcoin transactions and using various blockchains to retrieve encrypted instructions. The increasing availability of high-capacity Chinese open models has lowered the technical barrier for building blockchain-based malware infrastructure, enabling less experienced hackers to participate. However, this surge in blockchain-based attacks poses challenges for defenders, as blocking blockchain traffic could disrupt legitimate cryptocurrency services and decentralized applications worldwide.",
  "summary": "Hackers are increasingly leveraging blockchain technology to hide malware instructions, making it nearly impossible to take down their infrastructure. According to Chainalysis, malicious blockchain activity has surged by 440% since the emergence of new AI systems, with daily entries rising from 2.06 to 11.1. This technique allows attackers to maintain communication with compromised computers without relying entirely on conventional servers. Blockchain networks serve as \"dead drops,\" where transaction data or smart contracts act as lookup points, enabling infected computers to retrieve commands, addresses, or configuration information. As AI models have become more powerful and less restrictive, hackers can now easily develop blockchain-based malware infrastructure, reducing the technical barrier for less experienced operators. This has led to a significant rise in blockchain-based malware activity, with state-linked groups accounting for a substantial portion of the observed activity.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}