With the rise of cryptocurrency, many people take advantage of people’s ignorance to extort said currency out of people. But now, its starting come to people’s attention that hackers are using people’s computers to actually mine for currency.
Cryptocurrency is normally found deep inside computer codes and in effect, it needs to be mined by solving a complex math equation. Finding this needs a lot of time and power and often requires multiple computers. Hackers often use malicious emails like in social engineering to get unsuspecting victims. Once clicked on, the attachment downloads a malicious program into the computer and it runs in the background, leaving the victim unaware they were targeted. The only way to know you were compromised is to check your computer processor. Mining Cryptocurrency takes a lot of RAM to perform and can easily overheat your computer.[1]
To prevent hackers from getting in and mining said currency, follow the necessary steps to prevent any cyber breaches. If you notice that your computer performing slower than normal, you may have been compromised as they seek out the coins. Be vigilant and know the signs.
[1] https://us.norton.com/internetsecurity-malware-what-is-cryptojacking.html
