Is your computer making bitcoins without you knowing?
In Latin America a new headache spreads for Internet users. Cybercriminals are using the computing power of foreign devices to mine cryptocurrencies. We tell you how to detect if you are a victim of this problem.
Until about two years ago, the word 'cryptocurrencies' was hardly in the mouth of some experts, but the explosion of these exchange units - particularly bitcoin - has brought the subject to public attention. So much, that without wanting it you could be a victim of its growth.
"The issue of cryptocurrencies begins to be put on everyone's lips and there is talk of what mining is, starting to buy bitcoins and investing. When this move is generated, the cybercriminals see that there is money and an opportunity to make a profit, "Camilo Gutiérrez Amaya, Head of Laboratory at ESET Latin America, explained to Sputnik.
While many point to the advantages of blockchain technology when making transactions, it is based on complex algorithms that need a large computing capacity to be solved.
Cybercriminals have found a way to solve this 'stumbling block': stealing the power of processors from unsuspecting users who surf the web. This scheme breaks with the common notion that has malicious activity against online financial activities, according to the expert. It is not exclusively a theft of bitcoins from an electronic wallet or theft of financial information related to this currency.
"There are threats of that type, but they are not so common. What we do see are malicious codes that arrive at the user's device and use it to mine cryptocurrencies. They do not steal information from the user, they do not spy on it, they only use the user's computing capacity without knowing it, "said González Amaya.
And unlike other malicious codes, they do not need to be downloaded through applications such as games and other programs. This type of computer threats consisted of "an attacker who arrives at a user's device and tries to steal financial, commercial or personal information and then sell it to obtain a kind of economic gain." Now, there is no need to download any file: enter a website so that the malicious code runs and begins to undermine a cryptocurrency at the user's expense. He does not lose money at first sight, but he uses the computing capacity of his device, which can be damaged.
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Article By http://bohemia.cu/tecnologia/