--- title: Weak Passwords Are Making Easy Work For This New Malware description: Weak Passwords Are Making Easy Work For This New Malware --- [Securafy Knowledge Hub](https://blog.securafy.com) - [Topics](https://blog.securafy.com/#sf-cover) - [Tools](https://blog.securafy.com/#sf-tools) - [Books & Guides](https://blog.securafy.com/#sf-books) [Talk to Securafy](https://meetings.hubspot.com/securafy/strategy-call) [Topics](https://blog.securafy.com/#sf-cover) [Tools](https://blog.securafy.com/#sf-tools) [Books & Guides](https://blog.securafy.com/#sf-books) [Talk to Securafy](https://meetings.hubspot.com/securafy/strategy-call) [Knowledge Hub](https://blog.securafy.com) / IT Operations IT Operations # Weak Passwords Are Making Easy Work For This New Malware Weak Passwords Are Making Easy Work For This New Malware ![Rodney Hall](https://blog.securafy.com/hubfs/Rodney%20Hall-1.png) By Rodney Hall Updated Jul 2024 2 min read Share [**](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https://blog.securafy.com/2021/01/09/weak-passwords-are-making-easy-work-for-this-new-malware) [**](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://blog.securafy.com/2021/01/09/weak-passwords-are-making-easy-work-for-this-new-malware&text=%3Cspan+id%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper_name%22+class%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper+hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field+hs_cos_wrapper_type_text%22+style%3D%22%22+data-hs-cos-general-type%3D%22meta_field%22+data-hs-cos-type%3D%22text%22+%3EWeak+Passwords+Are+Making+Easy+Work+For+This+New+Malware%3C%2Fspan%3E) [**](mailto:?subject=%3Cspan+id%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper_name%22+class%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper+hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field+hs_cos_wrapper_type_text%22+style%3D%22%22+data-hs-cos-general-type%3D%22meta_field%22+data-hs-cos-type%3D%22text%22+%3EWeak+Passwords+Are+Making+Easy+Work+For+This+New+Malware%3C%2Fspan%3E&body=https://blog.securafy.com/2021/01/09/weak-passwords-are-making-easy-work-for-this-new-malware) ![](https://static.hsstatic.net/BlogImporterAssetsUI/ex/missing-image.png)There's a new worm making the rounds on Windows and Linux-based servers that you should be aware of. This nasty bit of code has been spreading rapidly, using simple brute-force methods to break into public facing-services like Tomcat, MySQL, Jenkins, WebLogic and others. Unfortunately, the prevalence of weak passwords protecting these public-facing systems has made the brute force attacks that much more successful. Once the worm muscles its way onto a vulnerable system, the hackers controlling it are using it to drop copies of SMRig onto the compromised system, using it to mine cryptocurrency on their behalf. As malware goes, that's one of the least damaging options the hackers could have chosen, though it is still problematic. It still ties up an increasing percentage of your system's resources, putting it to work for the hackers. Still, it would be a trivial matter for them to swap out the payload with something far more destructive if they saw fit to. This is not a sophisticated piece of code, but as the hackers controlling it have demonstrated, they don't need it to be. The sad and simple truth is that far too many people rely on rudimentary, easy to guess passwords, which makes it easy for even simple brute-force techniques to succeed. In short, there's so much low-hanging fruit on the web that the hackers are enjoying solid success without having to try very hard. Don't fall victim to this worm. If it's been a while since you've reviewed security on your company's network, now is a great time to do that. Start by making sure that your passwords aren't so simple that it only requires trivial effort to crack them. Be sure you're taking backups at regular intervals and that if you have any "smart" devices connected to your network, they're as secure as you can make them. Stay vigilant, this is a minor threat in the larger scheme of things, but it's a problem you don't want to find yourself having to deal with. Tagged Under IT Operations[Cybersecurity](https://blog.securafy.com/tag/cybersecurity)Business Continuity In This Article Need Help With Your Current Setup? Talk through your current systems, risks, and support gaps with Securafy. [Book a Strategy Call](https://meetings.hubspot.com/securafy/strategy-call) ## Join The Conversation Have a question or perspective on this topic? Add it below. ![Rodney Hall](https://blog.securafy.com/hubfs/Rodney%20Hall-1.png) About The Author Rodney Hall · President & COO Rodney Hall is the President and COO of Securafy, with 2 decades of experience in IT service management and operations. He writes about the less glamorous but essential side of IT: support systems, documentation, business continuity, recurring issues, downtime, and the processes that keep client environments running well. His perspective comes from years spent improving how service is delivered, how teams respond, and how small problems are prevented from becoming much larger ones. Outside of work, Rodney enjoys home improvement projects, woodworking, and dirt bike riding. His personal mission mirrors Securafy’s: helping businesses stay secure, compliant, and ready for whatever comes next. **Writes about:** Managed IT, IT operations, service delivery, business continuity, downtime prevention, support processes, operational risk [More From This Author →](https://blog.securafy.com/author/rodney-hall) Related Articles Business Continuity [Compliance Risk Assessment: How Downtime Impacts Your Bottom Line](https://blog.securafy.com/compliance-risk-assessment-how-downtime-impacts-your-bottom-line) When systems go down, compliance obligations don't pause—and the financial consequences ... Jul 28, 2026 Compliance [HIPAA Security Rule Changes Are Delayed To 2027: Why Healthcare Organizations Should Not Wait](https://blog.securafy.com/hipaa-security-rule-changes-are-delayed-to-2027-why-healthcare-organizations-should-not-wait) The updated HIPAA Security Rule won't take effect until 2027, but healthcare ... Jul 23, 2026 Compliance [Multi Factor Authentication Best Practices for CJIS Security Policy Compliance](https://blog.securafy.com/multi-factor-authentication-best-practices-for-cjis-security-policy-compliance) Law enforcement agencies and criminal justice organizations face mounting pressure to ... Jul 16, 2026 Compliance [CMMC Phase II Has Been Suspended: What Defense Contractors Still Need To Do](https://blog.securafy.com/cmmc-phase-ii-has-been-suspended-what-defense-contractors-still-need-to-do) The Department of Defense suspended CMMC Phase II enforcement, but that doesn't mean ... Jul 15, 2026 IT Operations [Cybersecurity For Veterinary Clinics: Protecting Client Data, Payment Systems, And Practice Operations](https://blog.securafy.com/cybersecurity-for-veterinary-clinics-protecting-client-data-payment-systems-and-practice-operations) Veterinary clinics handle sensitive client data, payment information, and critical ... Jul 9, 2026 IT Operations [AT&T Cybersecurity, AlienVault USM, And Managed Security: What SMBs Still Need To Own](https://blog.securafy.com/att-cybersecurity-alienvault-usm-and-managed-security-what-smbs-still-need-to-own) Managed security platforms like AT&T Cybersecurity and AlienVault USM provide ... Jul 8, 2026 Get Practical Cybersecurity Field Notes Monthly cybersecurity, compliance, and IT strategy updates from Securafy, written for business owners who need clear next steps. - Practical security tips from our Cyber Security Drip series - The Securafy Times, our monthly roundup on compliance and IT strategy - Occasional updates on new tools, guides, and research - No spam — unsubscribe anytime NIST CSF 2.0 Zero Trust Application Control CISA Aligned Enterprise Partner © 2026 Securafy — Columbus & Cleveland, Ohio [Main Site](https://www.securafy.com/) [Blog Home](https://blog.securafy.com/) [Contact](https://www.securafy.com/contact.html) [Privacy Policy](https://www.securafy.com/privacy-policy.html) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Rodney Hall", "url" : "https://blog.securafy.com/author/rodney-hall" }, "dateModified" : "2024-07-24T20:16:33.206Z", "datePublished" : "2021-01-09T16:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "Weak Passwords Are Making Easy Work For This New Malware", "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.securafy.com/2021/01/09/weak-passwords-are-making-easy-work-for-this-new-malware", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.securafy.com/hubfs/securafy-logo.png" }, "name" : "Securafy Inc." } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://securafy.com/#organization", "@type" : "Organization", "address" : [ { "@type" : "PostalAddress", "addressLocality" : "Columbus", "addressRegion" : "OH", "postalCode" : "43219", "streetAddress" : "4449 Easton Way, Suite 200" }, { "@type" : "PostalAddress", "addressLocality" : "Independence", "addressRegion" : "OH", "postalCode" : "44131", "streetAddress" : "6100 Oak Tree Blvd, Suite 200" } ], "areaServed" : [ "Columbus OH", "Cleveland OH", "Ohio" ], "name" : "Securafy Inc.", "url" : "https://securafy.com/" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://securafy.com/#website", "@type" : "WebSite", "inLanguage" : "en-US", "name" : "Securafy", "publisher" : { "@id" : "https://securafy.com/#organization" }, "url" : "https://securafy.com/" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://blog.securafy.com/#blog", "@type" : "Blog", "name" : "Securafy Knowledge Hub", "publisher" : { "@id" : "https://securafy.com/#organization" }, "url" : "https://blog.securafy.com" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://blog.securafy.com/2021/01/09/weak-passwords-are-making-easy-work-for-this-new-malware#article", "@type" : "Article", "author" : { "@id" : "https://www.securafy.com/about-us/#rodney-hall", "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Rodney Hall" }, "dateModified" : "2024-07-24T20:16:33+00:00", "datePublished" : "2021-01-09T16:00:00+00:00", "description" : "Weak Passwords Are Making Easy Work For This New Malware", "headline" : "Weak Passwords Are Making Easy Work For This New Malware", "image" : "https://www.securafy.com/hs-fs/hubfs/securafy-og-default.jpg", "inLanguage" : "en-US", "isPartOf" : { "@id" : "https://blog.securafy.com/#blog" }, "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.securafy.com/2021/01/09/weak-passwords-are-making-easy-work-for-this-new-malware", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@id" : "https://securafy.com/#organization" }, "url" : "https://blog.securafy.com/2021/01/09/weak-passwords-are-making-easy-work-for-this-new-malware" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement" : [ { "@type" : "ListItem", "item" : "https://blog.securafy.com", "name" : "Knowledge Hub", "position" : 1 }, { "@type" : "ListItem", "item" : "https://blog.securafy.com/2021/01/09/weak-passwords-are-making-easy-work-for-this-new-malware", "name" : "Weak Passwords Are Making Easy Work For This New Malware", "position" : 2 } ] } ```