[2018-03-15]Windows Defender to Block Unauthorized Cryptomining Operations

[Vladdirescu87]

The fintech statistics show that cryptocurrency mining, though a hit on the financial markets, has started to evolve many concerns. Microsoft has recently published research presenting the fact that cryptocurrency mining has become the top instrument for malware attacks, in particular after the rapid increase of Bitcoin price experienced in 2017.

“Are these two trends related? Are cybercriminals shifting their focus to cryptocurrency miners as primary source of income? It’s not likely that cybercriminals will completely abandon ransomware operations any time soon, but the increase in trojanized cryptocurrency miners indicates that attackers are definitely exploring the possibilities of this newer method of illicitly earning money,” Microsoft says.

Read the details in the article of Coinidol dot com, the world blockchain news outlet: https://coinidol.com/windows-defender-to-block-cryptomining-operations/

[richardsNY]

Mining guarantees a certain income, while encrypting systems and asking for ransom does not, which is the main point of importance here. On top of that, by mining 'behind the scenes' hackers can continue to use systems basically endlessly, till people either remove the malicious software or wipe their HDD. Computers infected with ransomware are are obviously infected where most people either wipe their HDD themselves, or have it be done in a computer store. I am sure that if you manage to set up your bot net in such a way, that people won't even find out that their systems are being used to mine from. People mostly notice things when their computers become obviously slow or noisy, so letting miners run on the lowest possible intensity will definitely tackle that aspect.