Users either click on an attachment or link to execute and run the cryptomining script or browse to a website with infected ads. Here’s what you need to know about cryptojacking, how it affects your online security and how to protect your business and personal computers to prevent them from being used for malicious intent. Cryptojacking is a threat that implants itself within a mobile device or computer and then employs measures to mine cryptocurrency.
- Crypto mining malware has been known to be around since at least 2011, but cryptojacking ramped up in late 2017 as more people started investing in cryptocurrencies.
- RedLock couldn’t say just how many bitcoins the operation may have mined, but there was the potential for it to be substantial.
- Hackers often pose as banks or service providers to ensure that the malicious files are downloaded.
- These numbers are so strong because cryptojacking is virtually minting money for cybercriminals.
- Coin mining is a legitimate process in the cryptocurrency world that releases new cryptocurrency into circulation.
The malicious packages can be used to target developer systems—and the networks and cloud resources they connect to—to use them directly as illicit cryptomining resources. Or they can leverage these attacks to poison the software that these developers are building with components that execute cryptomining scripts on the machines of an application’s end user. Once inside a victim’s endpoint, cryptojacking software can move across all devices on the network, including servers, cloud infrastructures and software supply chains. A lot of cryptojacking scripts also have worming capabilities that detect other cryptojacking malware already operating on a victim’s device, disable it and replace it. In February 2018, cryptojacking code was discovered concealed within the Los Angeles Times’ Homicide Report page.
Cryptojacking attack methods
A study last fall by Google’s Cybersecurity Action Team reported that 86% of compromised cloud instances are used for cryptomining. For users who want to prevent all cryptomining activities (including cryptojacking) it automatically blocks and notifies each time an activity is detected, once enabled. For users opting to run legit cryptomining activities, Bitdefender will first send a warning allowing the user to choose if the activity should be blocked or maintained. When the cryptojacking software is installed on the device, the mining begins, that is, generation of cryptocurrency. Mining consumes significant processing power, which negatively affects the functioning of the device. Cyber security experts say that it can be difficult to detect cryptojacking because such malware operates differently from other types of malware.
For example, it verifies that the funds being used in the transaction have legitimate value, that they are delivered only when certain conditions have been met, and that the proper amounts are being distributed. Obviously, you will need to have any suspected pages open while you run the test. If the test comes back affirmative and a website is cryptojacking your resources, all you have to do is close the site to make it stop.
How to Detect and Prevent Cryptojacking
The “mining” process is performed by a computer that is essentially coming up with a password to crack an encryption. If a computer were charged with figuring out the password to your laptop, for instance, it would have to try enough combinations of numbers or letters until it got it right. Many of the protocols on the Ethereum network have their own token or cryptocurrency. In most cases, users can use the cryptocurrency they have to vote on how a certain platform will operate in the future. Some platforms’ cryptos are only intended to be used for governing what happens with the platform.
Use the experience to better understand how the attacker was able to compromise your systems. Update your user, helpdesk, IT, and SOC analyst training so they are https://www.tokenexus.com/what-is-cryptojacking-how-to-prevent-and-detect-it/ better able to identify cryptojacking attempts and respond accordingly. Any sort of storage can be used for this, so one shouldn’t simply watch their S3 bill.
Why cryptojacking is a concern
While cryptojacking may not be as obviously disruptive as other forms of malware or hacking, there are various impacts on affected device owners. Your computer or phone may run slowly and be unable to perform tasks at its usual speed, while affected servers may not be able to keep up with their usual demands when saddled with crypto-mining malware. To prevent cryptojacking while visiting websites, make sure each site you visit is on a carefully vetted whitelist. You can also blacklist sites known for cryptojacking, but this may still leave your device or network exposed to new cryptojacking pages. People earn cryptocurrency by using their computers to either solve or verify the solutions to math problems. Even if a cryptojacker does not plan to spend the cryptocurrency they “earn” by using your device’s resources, they can simply put them in a liquidity pool and earn that way.
