Bitcoin Forum

Alternate cryptocurrencies => Mining (Altcoins) => Topic started by: couture on June 28, 2017, 04:32:09 PM



Title: Botnet mining possible?
Post by: couture on June 28, 2017, 04:32:09 PM
Jus thinking out loud here... but would it in theory be possible to make a sneaky virus, that once on an infected machine, could then run quietly in the background a mining program... just a few Mh here and there, nothing so much that you would notice..

For example wannacry allegedly infected over 250,000 machines.. if each machine could contribute a mere 2mh/s or so.. that would be a network total of 500Gh!? Which... if mining etherium.. and using crypto compare to calculate rates as of today - 28th June 2017 that would be more than $2.2m per month!!


I'm sure.... there is a barrier to entry here that I'm missing (most likely the fact that building such a large botnet is no easy feat)

Ponderings appreciated :)



Title: Re: Botnet mining possible?
Post by: Barmz on June 28, 2017, 04:46:29 PM
This already exists for years.

But sadly, hacking 250,000 machines is illegal  ::)

You must consider that :
- Most of computer's hardware will suck (I really think 95%+ of PCs)
- Normal people do not keep their computer up 24/7 but only 1-2 hours a day (maybe less than this)
- If the mining slows the computer too much, the victim will try to clean up his computer

So your average mining rate will probably be more like 0.02Mh/s than 2Mh/s. And how long will your zombies be able to mine?


Title: Re: Botnet mining possible?
Post by: YIz on June 28, 2017, 05:02:31 PM
People already use botnets for mining monero. CPU mining of course, GPU botnets are less common.


Title: Re: Botnet mining possible?
Post by: Vann on June 28, 2017, 05:07:26 PM
Actually the latest mining malware targets always on IOT devices such as routers, DVR's, IP cameras, etc. Usually it's more profitable for criminals to employ such devices in DDOS attacks though.