Bitcoin Forum

Here is a study on botnets that mined bitcoins.

Paper: http://sysnet.ucsd.edu/~dhuang/static/ndss14-cr.pdf (http://sysnet.ucsd.edu/~dhuang/static/ndss14-cr.pdf) (updated the link; previously broken)

Key findings:

(1) Botnets that we know have earned at least the following amounts (Table I in the paper):
https://i.imgur.com/bEIFAiV.png

(2) A stacked-line graph showing at least how much each botnet earned over time (Figure 2):
https://i.imgur.com/U59Noej.png

(3) Bitcoin mining (especially for botnets) is getting increasingly unprofitable (Figure 9):
https://i.imgur.com/suLubDv.png

(4) With declining Bitcoin-mining profitability, more Litecoin-mining malware can be found (Figure 10):
https://i.imgur.com/YHJKfeM.png

And what are we supposed to discuss?

Interesting.

Thanks the information crazyideas21.

Do you have a better link to the pdf, as having problems with this download link.

Here's the direct link:

http://sysnet.ucsd.edu/~dhuang/static/ndss14-cr.pdf (http://sysnet.ucsd.edu/~dhuang/static/ndss14-cr.pdf)

Botnet mining for BTC ended a long time ago (in BTC time).  LTC botnets using CPUs might still be prevalent.

The paper arrived at a similar conclusion. Some open questions remain: How prevalent are LTC botnets? Are they employing similar attack models? If one day LTC mining becomes unprofitable, would botnets switch to the alternative coins?

crazyideas21, thanks for the new link.

There are probably big botnets mining CPU coins such as XPM and PTS

Have you seen any evidence? I'm interested in finding out. Thanks!

You don't need evidence. It is pure logic. It became more profitable to mine other coins other then BTC then convert those coins to BTC or keep them. Those botnet networks didn't stop mining BTC, they just moved on to other coins. 

I think they go for primecoins these days cause botnets are CPU mining I would think

People started mining primecoin with botnet just some after it was launched. Most of them are doing protoshares now.

It was already discussed a long time ago why Zeroaccess stopped mining bitcoins.
The ASICS drove them away and if they still mine LTC this won't last too long.

But new coins or CPU designed ones are in real danger.
I'm interested how quark will try to protect it's network with a coming reward of 20cents/minute , 12$/hour.

Thanks crazyideas21 for the link, it's known buy still really interesting to read a technical paper.
I also think they didn't disappear from crypto scene, they just moved to other coins, especially CPU-only coins where there is no competition, and convert to BTC
They are still here..