possible hacking and suggestions

[jastew1011]

 I was able to get bitcoin mining working, but the first night that I had my computer continually mine, someone in a remote country got access to my credit card and used it. I am currently afraid to try to mine again. Should I assume the incident was unrelated, have there been previous incidents with a person's credit card and bank information being hacked, and/or should I increase the security of my network? thanks again.

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[Qoheleth]

As far as I know, there's no inherent security risk to mining at all. If they're related, I'm pretty sure it could only be because there was either some malware involved which you thought to be mining software, or some third party who was given info they shouldn't have been given.

So. Were you solo mining, or mining in a pool? If in a pool, what info did you give the people running the pool? What mining software are you using and where did you get it? Do you actually store your bank info/credit card info on your computer (that's risky to begin with)?

[dark_st3alth]

Mining it's self is quite safe, but depends on the mining client you are using. Most mining clients are open source, and are very safe. You may want to post what client you are using and where you got it from.

It would seem to be coincidence that these two things happened at once. I would use some Anti Virus software such as Avira Free AV to see if your computer contains a "keylogger" which may be recording keystrokes and thus bank details as you have inputted them.

Another possible thought is that you were "Phished". Not in fishing down by the lake, but in the case of Phishing for your details (they sound the same). Phishing is a art of taking personal information with legitimate looking websites which actually steal the data you have entered. You may have been a victim of this if you have responded to emails which seem to have come from "your" bank.

[codymanix]

Phishers phritze phisht phrishe Phishe!

 

(german saying)

[Gabi]

but the first night that I had my computer continually mine, someone in a remote country got access to my credit card and used it

 

If you had an infected computer, it's not mining fault.

Please tell us what miner you use and more info about your system

[codymanix]

What does your computer have to do with your credit card???

This is like the computer virus which drinks your beer and hides your shoes..

[Shawshank]

1) Use legit software. Not only the Operating System but all installed applications.
2) If you are using Windows, always mine with a Limited account, not an Administrator account.
3) Use an antivirus: Microsoft Security Essentials is a free and reliable option for Windows.
4) Use the firewall installed in Windows and just keep the bare minimum of ports open (for example, the ones for the Bitcoin client and for mining).
5) Keep Windows Update scheduled to get the latest security patches. Confirm that security patches have been correctly installed. If not, contact the technical service for your operating system (I had to do it once and they gave me the solution nicely in a day).

Enjoy mining!

[Gabi]

What does your computer have to do with your credit card???

This is like the computer virus which drinks your beer and hides your shoes..

Or "Don't touch the infected computer, the virus will give you a flu!"

[jastew1011]

I was running poclbm on a 32-bit ubuntu computer. The pool that I was using was deepbit. I assume it was just a coincidence. I was just afraid of the possibility of someone hacking my ip address and stealing the information for my bank account through my use of online banking on my network. 

[jastew1011]

?

[dark_st3alth]

I was running poclbm on a 32-bit ubuntu computer. The pool that I was using was deepbit. I assume it was just a coincidence. I was just afraid of the possibility of someone hacking my ip address and stealing the information for my bank account through my use of online banking on my network. 

Linux is quite secure, even more so then Mac OS X which claims to "never get viruses". The most likely cause was that the data was leaked to an outside source from a company's database.

[occulta]

Did you store your credit card in a text file in ~HOME? i dont see this and therefore its very unlikely that your box got 'hacked'

Its more likely someone stole the details from a database of a shop you purchased something from. No need for root exploits in linux if all you want to do it steal card infos, thats what code injection is for

[jastew1011]

No i don't store my passwords in that type of file, nor do I believe I even used that credit card with this computer,I think the incident was probably unrelated. Would anyone agree?

[dark_st3alth]

No i don't store my passwords in that type of file, nor do I believe I even used that credit card with this computer,I think the incident was probably unrelated. Would anyone agree?

I would 100%.

[Shawshank]

If you are using a well-known open-source miner software, I would say that you are quite safe. However, it is true that if a hacker knows that your IP hosts a Bitcoin miner, it may be tempted to attack that machine. The hacker will suppose you are also storing the wallet in that machine and try to exploit other operating systems vulnerabilities. I want to stress that, if you are using a well-known, widespread open-source miner, if there is a vulnerability, it is most likely not related to the miner.

However, if you really are concerned about security, use a separate computer to mine. If that is not feasible, it is virtually (no pun intended) equivalent to run the miner in a platform virtual machine, such as VirtualBox: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VirtualBox

[der__flo]

Phishers phritze phisht phrishe Phishe!

hehe *thumps up!*