A new cybercrime tactic has emerged, exploiting a feature many businesses rely on daily: Zoom's remote control function.
According to a recent article by BleepingComputer, attackers are weaponizing this collaboration tool to stealthily siphon cryptocurrency from unsuspecting users. This development is yet another stark reminder that today’s threats are evolving faster than most security systems can detect, respond to, or neutralize.
The implications for small and mid-sized businesses are especially concerning. If your operations rely on tools like Zoom for client meetings, remote work, or internal training, your endpoints are now a more attractive target than ever.
The Attack: Social Engineering Meets Remote Access
The attack begins with a convincing phishing email or social engineering message that entices the target to join a Zoom meeting. Once the session begins, the attacker persuades the victim to hand over control via Zoom’s built-in remote control functionality—typically under the guise of troubleshooting a fake issue or assisting with a technical task.
Once in control, the hacker navigates to the victim’s crypto wallet browser tab, initiates a transaction, and uses a copied 2FA code (also socially engineered or intercepted) to complete the theft. The victim often realizes what’s happened only after their crypto funds have vanished.
What makes this attack particularly dangerous is that it exploits a legitimate feature in Zoom. There’s no malware download or suspicious behavior for traditional antivirus or EDR solutions to flag. And that’s the crux of the problem: most security tools rely on detecting something bad happening—but what if the system doesn’t consider it bad?
Why Traditional Defenses Keep Failing
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) tools and antivirus software operate on a reactive model: detect the threat, then respond. But what happens when the threat doesn’t register as malicious because it’s riding on legitimate, trusted software like Zoom?
This is the inherent weakness in the "Detect and Respond" model—it assumes we’ll always be able to see threats coming. But attackers are increasingly turning to techniques that look and feel like normal user behavior. In this case, the attacker didn't install malware or exploit a software vulnerability—they simply convinced the user to hand over control and took advantage of normal browser activity.
Isolation and Containment: A Better Way Forward
This is where AppGuard comes in. With a 10-year track record of stopping breaches before they happen—even in high-stakes environments like the Department of Defense—AppGuard takes a fundamentally different approach to endpoint protection.
Rather than trying to identify and react to threats, AppGuard prevents them from executing in the first place. By applying Isolation and Containment policies, AppGuard blocks unauthorized processes—even if initiated by a user or triggered through trusted software like Zoom—from performing actions that could compromise the system or data.
In the Zoom crypto theft scenario, AppGuard would have contained browser activity in such a way that the remote-controlled session couldn’t access the sensitive operations necessary to complete the theft. Even if the user handed over control, the attacker would be powerless to execute harmful actions outside of their restricted sandbox.
Cybercriminals Will Keep Innovating. Will You?
As attackers continue to find clever ways to exploit trusted platforms and human behavior, businesses can no longer rely on detection-based solutions alone. The question isn’t whether your antivirus or EDR tool saw the threat in time—it’s whether the threat was even visible to begin with.
The smart move is to shift your cybersecurity strategy from Detect and Respond to Isolation and Containment. Don’t wait until your business is the next victim of a sophisticated attack leveraging software you trust every day.
Talk to CHIPS About AppGuard Today
At CHIPS, we help businesses like yours stay ahead of modern threats with proven solutions. AppGuard has been protecting high-value assets in government and commercial sectors for over a decade—and now it’s available for your business.
Let’s talk about how AppGuard can help you prevent incidents like the Zoom crypto theft attack before they ever happen.
📞 Contact CHIPS today to schedule a consultation. Your business deserves better protection.
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