A new security alert has been launched these days because some websites have been discovered to use a technique that keeps cryptocurrency mining active in the background, even after closing the browser.
For the uninitiated, I refer to another guide on what cryptocurrencies are and let's say briefly that these are the virtual coins that are gaining so much value in the last year.
Due to the overvaluation of Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and since it is possible to generate Bitcoins through programs called "mining", hackers and even website administrators have found the way, through Javascript code hidden on the site, to exploit the CPU of the visitor PC to have more computing power.
READ ALSO: Block programs that undermine Bitcoin
In fact, mining is an activity that requires a lot of energy and the use of very powerful computers to generate value.
Cyrptocurrency mining like Bitcoins is the act of decoding a single unit of cyrptocurrency divided into multiple encrypted segments or hashes. Each hash takes the processing power to decode it and many processors working simultaneously. Using the computer of many unsuspecting people remotely for mining therefore becomes a simple but effective trick to earn money with minimal effort.
In short, some sites have a malicious code inside that allows you to secretly exploit the computer CPU for the work of creating a croptovalute . So if you notice an abnormal use of the CPU (often coinciding with a louder fan noise), a decrease in performance or a slowness of the non-normal computer, it can be the fault of a virus that does not exhaust the activities after closing the browser, but continues in the background .
For now, web browsers are not yet blocking the cryptocurrency mining javascript code. The important thing would be to have an antivirus that blocks this particular category of malware, which does not, for now, Windows Defender in Windows 10. If, therefore, we are not using an external antivirus that blocks cryptocurrency mining, we can still protect the computers from sites with malicious code using an extension .
There are two anti-cryptocurrency extensions to choose from:
1) minerBlock, simple tool that monitors any online mining activity, only on Chrome.
It identifies the culprit and then blocks its activities in the browser.
2) noCoin is the extension that has become more popular at the moment, which works to block the cryptocurrency generation code.
No Coin is available for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Opera, it's open source, it's 100% secure and does a great job of blocking Coin Hive and other similar cryptocurrency miners.
If you don't want to use extensions and don't have an antivirus that protects against this type of attack, you should scan your computer, say every week (recommended regardless), with one of these three free programs: ADWCleaner, faster and quick or even Malwarebytes or Zemana antimalware.
Keep in mind that some sites may legitimately hold Coin Hive code, asking visitors to authorize mining on their computers. In these cases there is no malware and there is no need to be alarmed.
READ ALSO: Bitcoin: how digital currency created for the internet works
For the uninitiated, I refer to another guide on what cryptocurrencies are and let's say briefly that these are the virtual coins that are gaining so much value in the last year.
Due to the overvaluation of Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and since it is possible to generate Bitcoins through programs called "mining", hackers and even website administrators have found the way, through Javascript code hidden on the site, to exploit the CPU of the visitor PC to have more computing power.
READ ALSO: Block programs that undermine Bitcoin
In fact, mining is an activity that requires a lot of energy and the use of very powerful computers to generate value.
Cyrptocurrency mining like Bitcoins is the act of decoding a single unit of cyrptocurrency divided into multiple encrypted segments or hashes. Each hash takes the processing power to decode it and many processors working simultaneously. Using the computer of many unsuspecting people remotely for mining therefore becomes a simple but effective trick to earn money with minimal effort.
In short, some sites have a malicious code inside that allows you to secretly exploit the computer CPU for the work of creating a croptovalute . So if you notice an abnormal use of the CPU (often coinciding with a louder fan noise), a decrease in performance or a slowness of the non-normal computer, it can be the fault of a virus that does not exhaust the activities after closing the browser, but continues in the background .
For now, web browsers are not yet blocking the cryptocurrency mining javascript code. The important thing would be to have an antivirus that blocks this particular category of malware, which does not, for now, Windows Defender in Windows 10. If, therefore, we are not using an external antivirus that blocks cryptocurrency mining, we can still protect the computers from sites with malicious code using an extension .
There are two anti-cryptocurrency extensions to choose from:
1) minerBlock, simple tool that monitors any online mining activity, only on Chrome.
It identifies the culprit and then blocks its activities in the browser.
2) noCoin is the extension that has become more popular at the moment, which works to block the cryptocurrency generation code.
No Coin is available for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Opera, it's open source, it's 100% secure and does a great job of blocking Coin Hive and other similar cryptocurrency miners.
If you don't want to use extensions and don't have an antivirus that protects against this type of attack, you should scan your computer, say every week (recommended regardless), with one of these three free programs: ADWCleaner, faster and quick or even Malwarebytes or Zemana antimalware.
Keep in mind that some sites may legitimately hold Coin Hive code, asking visitors to authorize mining on their computers. In these cases there is no malware and there is no need to be alarmed.
READ ALSO: Bitcoin: how digital currency created for the internet works
