Avoiding Malicious Cryptojacking Practices

As it stands, cryptojacking is swiftly becoming the most prevalent cyber issue of the last years. Even though cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin have been around for years, the method of generating them — known as mining — only became a craze in 2017. It all started with a plan to add a JavaScript code to websites that taps into your hardware power in order to generate profit for owners of the site.

However, the easy payday has been too tempting so in most cases the ‘hijacking’ is done without people’s knowledge. Even worse, hackers are coming up with nefarious plans to secretly infect unsuspecting websites with cryptojacking codes, furthering the number of victims.

Press F to Print Money

Originally crypto mining wasn’t such a bad idea. Coinhive was the first to promise site owners an option to monetize the presence of their visitors via a JavaScript mining tool that uses their hardware power to generate a virtual currency called Monero. On paper, this was a win-win situation for everyone, as site owners could ensure a steady stream of income without having to bend to the whims of advertisers while visitors could have a more streamlined experience and at the same time support their favorite sites without paying a dime.

Unfortunately, unscrupulous individuals have since taken the concept so far that the UK’s cyber security division considers cryptojacking a threat. According to their 2018 report, more than 4,000 websites are secretly mining cryptocurrency without notifying their readers. Honestly, people have every right to complain about this creeping trend since cryptojacking slows down their systems, and if the mining tool puts too much strain on the device, then the CPU and the graphics card might get damaged. In other words, cryptojacking can ruin your machine.

Even Chrome Had To Step In

This issue didn’t go unnoticed by businesses, either. The creators of Coinhive decided to release a new version of their mining tool called “AuthedMine”. When this specific plugin is installed on a site, visitors are asked to grant permission for the mining tool, otherwise the process won’t start. Browser stores have also seen a boom in anti-jacking add-ons that stop the user’s computer from being taken over.

The situation escalated to the point that even Chrome was spooked. The popular browser was originally supportive of cryptocurrency mining extensions being uploaded to its store, although they set two conditions. First, that users must be adequately informed; and second, that mining must be the only purpose of the extension. At the moment, 90% of add-ons uploaded to the store fail to follow Chrome’s policy on this, which angered the company so much that they enacted a purge. Now not only do they refuse to accept mining extensions anymore, but any existing ones will be delisted until June of 2018.

Leaking Browsers Hold Other Dangers Too

Having your device kidnapped is just one of the many dangers you may encounter while surfing the internet. The browser itself is a liability as it operates under different rules than the software that is installed onto the system. For example, a VPN client is capable of much greater security than an equivalent browser extension, even if it’s from the same company. It’s more recommended to utilize client-based protection instead of being satisfied with just a browser add-on. Having a strong antivirus that fends off malware is also important, and be sure to search for a reliable VPN since they are better for protecting your data stream from IP and DNS leaks.