New Article
What is Crypto Jacking ? How does it Work ? How to detect and Prevent ?
What is Crypto Jacking ? How does it Work ? How to detect and Prevent ?
According to recent report, Crypto Jacking has increased to a record high in 2022, even though the number of digital assets has decreased. In the first half of 2022, the number of global crypto jacking has increased by approximately USD 66 million as compared to 2021.
What is Crypto Jacking ?
Cryptojacking is the unauthorized use of someone else’s compute resources to mine cryptocurrency. Hackers seek to hijack any kind of systems they can take over—desktops, servers, cloud infrastructure and more—to illicitly mine for crypto coins.
Regardless of the delivery mechanism, cryptojacking code typically works quietly in the background as unsuspecting victims use their systems normally. The only signs they might notice is slower performance, lags in execution, overheating, excessive power consumption, or abnormally high cloud computing bills.
How Do Cryptojacking Attacks Work?
Hackers have two key strategies to get a target computer to secretly mine cryptocurrencies, and may use a combination of both strategies:
- Download – one way is to persuade victims to load crypto mining code onto their devices. This is achieved through social-engineering methods like phishing, where the victims get an email that looks legitimate and encourages them to activate a link. The link runs a malicious code, which adds the crypto mining script to the device. The script then runs in the background while the targeted individual works.
- Injection – the other strategy is to inject a script into an ad or website, which is distributed to multiple websites. Once the victim views the website or the infected ad appears on their browser, the script is executed automatically. The victim’s computer does not store any code. In both strategies, the code executes complex mathematical problems on the target computer and passes the results to a server controlled by the hacker.
- Hybrid – attackers may combine the two strategies to maximize their gains. For instance, out of hundreds of devices mining cryptocurrencies for an attacker, 10% could be receiving income from code on the target machines, while 90% do so via their web browsers.
Cryptojacking attack methods
The attack methods are limited only by the cryptojackers’ creativity, but the following are some of the most common ones used today.
- Endpoint attacks
- Scan for vulnerable servers and network devices
- Software supply chain attacks
- Leveraging cloud infrastructure
How to Detect Cryptojacking
Cryptojacking attempts are often masked as standard, normal behavior. This makes this malicious activity difficult to detect – but not impossible. Here are several methods you can use to detect cryptojacking:
- Decreased performance
- Overheating of Devices
- Central processing unit (CPU) usage
How to Prevent CryptoJacking?
Although it is hard to discover if your computer system has been compromised by crytojacking, there are some measures you can take to prevent these attacks and protect your networking systems and computer, as well as your crypto-assets:
- Use anti-cryptomining extensions
- Use ad-blockers
- Disable JavaScript
- Instruct your IT team
- Educate your employees
MPPSC Free Study Material (English/Hindi)
🤩Follow Our Social Media Handles
YouTube 👉 https://bit.ly/36wAy17
Telegram👉 https://bit.ly/3sZTLzD
Facebook 👉 https://bit.ly/3sdKwN0
Daily Current Affairs Quiz for UPSC, MPSC, BPSC, and UPPSC: Click here
