Blockchain malware activity surges 440% as AI lowers barriers for state-linked hackers

Blockchain-based malware activity has increased by 440% in less than a year, according to Chainalysis. State-linked hackers from North Korea and Iran now account for approximately two-thirds of blockchain dead-drop activity, utilizing public chains to store malware instructions and command-and-control pointers. The rise in malicious writes, which jumped from 2.06 to 11.1 per day, is attributed to the availability of high-capacity open-weight AI models that simplify infrastructure development. This trend poses significant security challenges, as blocking these malicious activities could disrupt legitimate decentralized services.