{"id":9058,"date":"2022-03-14T23:39:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-14T20:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alfacash.blog\/?p=9058"},"modified":"2024-02-19T21:50:53","modified_gmt":"2024-02-19T18:50:53","slug":"what-cryptojacking-how-can-you-affected","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alfacash.blog\/cs\/2022\/03\/14\/what-cryptojacking-how-can-you-affected\/","title":{"rendered":"What is cryptojacking and how can you be affected?"},"content":{"rendered":"

We know how it sounds: cryptocurrency + hijacking. So, is it about someone stealing your cryptocurrencies? Surprisingly, not exactly. Cryptojacking is more about someone stealing your device resources and your electricity to mine cryptocurrencies. All of this, remotely, and without your consent or knowledge. Without you owning any cryptocurrency, even.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You could be an unwitting victim right now, and you probably wouldn\u2019t know. That\u2019s the trick. The hackers do everything they can for this malicious software to go unnoticed<\/strong>. As the cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab<\/a> describes it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCryptojacking is a type of cybercrime that involves the unauthorized use of people’s devices (computers, smartphones, tablets, or even servers) by cybercriminals to mine for cryptocurrency. Like many forms of cybercrime, the motive is profit, but unlike other threats, it is designed to stay completely hidden from the victim.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

To make this possible, the hackers can secretly add the malware<\/a> into some interesting file for the victim (local miner). That\u2019s something like a game or movie downloaded from non-official sources, a malicious app, or maybe an attached file in an email. But they can also make focused attacks, especially against companies.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Cryptojacking-malware-can-affected\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Once installed on the device, the malware works silently behind everything as long as the hosting machine it\u2019s turned on. It can even spread itself all over the connected network, infecting numerous devices at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s another way, though. In some cases, all that the hacker needs to do is embed the same miner software into a website \u2014any website. So, every user of this website would be mining cryptocurrencies<\/a> while remaining in there, without knowing (web miner). Sometimes, the hacker even arranges the software to stay open in a tiny window hidden behind the taskbar when the user closes the infected web.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, yes, anyone can be affected. But how do you know?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Symptoms and prevention<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As you may know, cryptocurrency mining usually requires a lot of hardware resources and electricity. Bitcoin<\/a> (BTC), for example, is the most difficult currency to mine. It requires specialized machines (ASIC miners), and an awful lot of energy<\/a>. This is expensive pro horn\u00edky<\/a>, so, they usually join others in mining pools or prepare large mining farms with hundreds of machines \u2014to cover their expenses and maximize their profits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, not every minable cryptocurrency is like that. Coins like Grin (GRIN), Dogecoin<\/a> (DOGE), Zcash (ZEC), and Monero<\/a> (XMR) can be mined with only CPUs, without any other specialized machine. Monero is, precisely, the most popular for cryptojacking malware, be it as a local miner or as a web miner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the fewer difficulty, the process can still consume the infected device resources quickly. At a minimum, the user will experience a slower system. At a maximum, in the case of mobile devices, the battery can run out in a few minutes, and the device may overheat<\/strong>. This, in turn, can cause some parts to become damaged due to heat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the device is connected to the energy, the electricity bill might rise for the victim. In any case, what the hacker is doing is stealing someone\u2019s else resources to mine crypto for free and keep all the rewards for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

U\u017eite\u010dn\u00e9 tipy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n