MD4 The rise of cyrptojacking Flashcards
Cryptojacking
Cryptojacking is a form of malware that installs software to illegally mine cryptocurrencies. You may be familiar with cryptocurrency from the news. If you’re new to the topic, cryptocurrencies are a form of digital money that have real-world value. Like physical forms of currency, there are many different types. For the most part, they’re referred to as coins or tokens.
In simple terms, crypto mining is a process used to obtain new coins. Crypto mining is similar to the process for mining for other resources, like gold. Mining for something like gold involves machinery, such as trucks and bulldozers, that can dig through the Earth. Crypto coins, on the other hand, use computers instead. Rather than digging through the Earth, the computers run software that dig through billions of lines of encrypted code. When enough code is processed, a crypto coin can be found.
Generally, more computers mining for coins mean more cryptocurrency can be discovered. Criminals unfortunately figured this out. Beginning in 2017, cryptojacking malware started being used to gain unauthorized control of personal computers to mine cryptocurrency.
Since that time, cryptojacking techniques have become more sophisticated. Criminals now regularly target vulnerable servers to spread their mining software. Devices that communicate with the infected server become infected themselves. The malicious code then runs in the background, mining for coins unknown to anyone.
An intrusion detection system (IDS)
Cryptojacking software is hard to detect. Luckily, security professionals have sophisticated tools that can help. An intrusion detection system, or IDS, is an application that monitors system activity and alerts some possible intrusions. When abnormal activity is detected like, malware mining for coins, the IDS alerts security personnel.
Despite their usefulness, detection systems have a major drawback. New forms of malware can remain undetected. Fortunately, there are subtle signs that indicate a device is infected with cryptojacking software or other forms of malware.
By far the most telling sign of a cryptojacking infection is slowdown. Other signs include increased CPU usage, sudden system crashes, and fast draining batteries. Another sign is unusually high electricity costs related to the resource- intensive process of crypto mining.
