Cryptojacking

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What Is Cryptojacking?

Cryptojacking is a cybercrime activity where an attacker hijacks the computing power of a victim’s device to mine cryptocurrencies. The attacker carries out cryptojacking by exploiting vulnerabilities in the victim’s device to install crypto mining software.

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Key Takeaways

  • Cryptojacking is a cybercrime activity where an attacker hijacks the computing power of a victim’s device to mine cryptocurrencies.
  • Cryptojacking vulnerabilities can be present in websites, software, and operating systems (OSs).
  • Sluggish device performance, high temperatures, and poor battery health are signs of crypto jacking.
  • Antivirus software can detect cryptojacking scripts and protect your computer when you visit malicious websites.
  • “WannaMine” is a crypto mining malware designed to mine a privacy-focused PoW cryptocurrency called Monero (XMR).

Cryptojacking Explained: Key Terms

In order to understand the meaning of cryptojacking, we need to learn about cryptocurrencies and consensus mechanisms.

What Is Cryptocurrency?

A cryptocurrency is a digital currency that is typically used as a medium of exchange or a form of payment. Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) are decentralized and do not need a centralized intermediary to process and execute transactions.

Instead, a decentralized network of participants known as miners or validators uses cryptographic techniques and blockchain technology to secure and execute transactions.

What Is a Consensus Mechanism?

Consensus mechanism refers to a process used by a cryptocurrency’s network of miners or validators to achieve agreement on the state of a blockchain’s ledger.

There are two main types of consensus mechanisms: proof-of-work (PoW) and proof-of-stake (PoS):

PoW consensus mechanismPoS consensus mechanism

Requires crypto miners to solve a complex mathematical puzzle to determine which miner gets the chance to process pending transactions and add the next block to a blockchain.

The first miner to solve this puzzle is chosen as the block builder and is rewarded with newly minted cryptocurrency for their effort.

Cryptocurrencies that use the PoW consensus mechanism include Bitcoin, Litecoin (LTC), and Dogecoin (DOGE).

Requires validators to lock up a certain amount of cryptocurrencies as collateral to become eligible to propose new blocks and execute transactions.

Like the PoW consensus mechanism, the block builder is rewarded with newly minted cryptocurrencies. However, in the PoS consensus mechanism, block builders are chosen randomly.

Cryptocurrencies that use the PoW consensus mechanism include ETH, Solana (SOL), and Cardano (ADA).

A key difference between the PoW and PoS consensus mechanisms is that the former requires miners to expend significant amounts of energy and computational power.

How Cryptojacking Works

As explained above, PoW consensus requires miners to expend processing power to solve complex mathematical puzzles. In cryptojacking, the required processing power and energy are stolen from a victim’s device.

An attacker first looks for vulnerabilities in a potential victim’s system. These vulnerabilities can be present in websites, software, and operating systems. The cryptojacking attack will then install malicious cryptojacking software, which will leverage the victim’s processing power to mine cryptocurrencies.

Cryptojacking malware is distributed through smartphone applications, botnets, social media platforms, website link, and Wi-Fi hotspots.

A cryptojacking attack can be non-persistent or persistent:

Non-persistent cryptojacking attack

Typically carried out via a website. It only occurs when the victim is visiting a malicious website or has opened an Internet browser on a compromised system.

Persistent cryptojacking

Continues to exploit the processing power of a system even when the victim has stopped visiting the source website.

Any laptop, computer, smartphone, Internet of Things (IoT) device, CPU or GPU-powered device is susceptible to cryptojacking.

Results of Cryptojacking Test

Your device may display the following symptoms if it has been cryptojacked:

  • Poor system performance: Slow computing speed is a key symptom of cryptojacking, as the cryptomining malware utilizes the majority of the available computing power to mine cryptocurrencies in the background.
  • Increased power consumption: Abnormal power consumption, extreme device temperatures, and poor battery health are symptoms of cryptojacking attacks.
  • Frequent system crashes: Exploit of a device’s computing power can lead to frequent crashes and operation disruptions.

Six Tips to Detect Cryptojacking

If you suspect that your device has fallen victim to a cryptojacking attack, here is how you can detect it:

Monitoring CPU usage
Smartphones, laptops, and personal computers allow users to monitor CPU usage in real-time. An abnormally high rate of CPU usage or sudden spikes can indicate cryptojacking.
Temperature diagnostics
Users can measure the temperature of their devices using software such as HWMonitor and Core Temp.
Monitoring battery health
Crypto mining can be an energy-intensive process. Battery drain is a key indicator of cryptojacking.
Browser behaviour
Your Internet browser may become slow, freeze or crash if a cryptojacking script is running in a background. If your browser’s performance does not improve after closing tabs and restarting it, it can indicate a cryptojacking attack.
Browser extension inspection
The presence of unknown browser extensions can indicate a cryptojacking attack.
Anti-malware scan
Security software can detect malicious cryptojacking scripts.

Cryptojacking Examples

WannaMine

In 2018, a cybersecurity firm named Panda Security identified a cryptomining malware called “WannaMine” designed to mine a privacy-focused PoW cryptocurrency called Monero (XMR).

According to the company, users were tricked into downloading the malware via email attachments and infected websites. WannaMine malware was designed to maximize use of a system’s processor and RAM causing devices to fail over time.

The malware ran complex mining techniques using the victim’s processing power to mine Monero’s XMR tokens which were sent to hacker‘s crypto wallets.

Coinhive

In the same year, over 4,000 government and university websites in the US and UK fell victim to a cryptojacking malware called Coinhive. All the affected sites used a plugin called Browsealoud that was used to read out webpages for blind or partially sighted people.

Hackers found a way to compromise the plugin and were successful in installing a cryptomining software for mining Monero’s XMR token on all affected websites.

Some affected websites were associated with the UK NHS services, The City University of New York, the Financial Ombudsman Service, and Lund University.

How to Protect Yourself Against Cryptojacking

Here are top tips on how to protect your device against cryptojacking:

Use antivirus software
Anti-malware and antivirus software can detect cryptojacking scripts and protect your computer when you visit malicious websites.
Disable auto-downloads and popups
Website browsers provide users with the option to disable auto-downloads and pops.
Update operating system software
Microsoft and Apple frequently release updates to their operating system software, which include security measures against new cryptojacking malware.
Block ads
Using an adblocker can prevent malicious links and advertisements from appearing while browsing the Internet.
Disable JavaScript
Disabling JavaScript in your browser settings can prevent cryptojacking malware from automatically downloading on your device.
Ignore suspicious links
Cryptojacking software is often downloaded onto a device via website links. Avoiding unknown or suspicious links can prevent such an attack.
Avoide public Wi-Fi
Attackers can lure victims by offering free Wi-Fi hotspots under seemingly trustworthy names.
Conduct regular audit
Regularly checking system performance, browser extensions, and applications can help identify malicious third-party apps or software.
Be careful with emails
Cyberattacks using social engineering techniques are very common. Always double check the email sender, look for spelling mistakes, and avoid suspicious links and downloading random files.

The Bottom Line

Cryptojacking can lead to lower device lifespan, financial losses and productivity decline. Luckily there are ways to prevent cryptojacking, which we have explained in our definition above.

Remember, it is most important to stay informed of the latest malware threats and learn ways to avoid such risks.

FAQs

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What is cryptojacking in cyber security?

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Mensholong Lepcha
Crypto & Blockchain Writer
Mensholong Lepcha
Crypto & Blockchain Writer

Mensholong is an experienced crypto and blockchain journalist, now a full-time writer at Techopedia. He has previously contributed news coverage and in-depth market analysis to Capital.com, StockTwits, XBO, and other publications. He began his writing career at Reuters in 2017, covering global equity markets. In his spare time, Mensholong enjoys watching soccer, finding new music, and buying BTC and ETH for his crypto portfolio.