Hackers mining for Bitcoin using other people’s computers | News

As if you didn’t already have enough to worry about, there’s this: Your computer may be mining for bitcoin without your permission or knowledge.

If this information makes you scratch your head and think how none of that makes sense, you are not alone. Research shows that instances, where computers of random people are hijacked to mine for bitcoins without their permission or knowledge, is on the upswing.

Here’s how this works.

Bitcoins are “mined” using super-computers that work to solve nearly impossible math equations. This takes an enormous amount of processing power. Computers built to mine cryptocurrency cost in excess of $5,000. Rather than buying those computers cyber-criminals are hijacking the computers of random people to do the work for them.

Malware is put on a computer by tricking the user into clicking a link in an email or on a website. The malware allows the hacker to begin using any processing power the computer user isn’t using at that…