Study Reveals Growing Sophistication in Malicious Mining of Cryptocurrency

Several Chinese researchers from Fudan University, Tsinghua University and the University of California Riverside have produced the first systematic study of the malicious mining of cryptocurrencies, known as cryptojacking, unveiling increasing complexity over time. And it doesn’t seem as if this trend will die down anytime soon.

What Is Cryptojacking?

Cryptojacking has asserted itself in the cybersphere as the valuation of the cryptocurrency sector soared over the past 18 months and refers to where a hacker hijacks the processing power of a computer to mine cryptocurrency on the hacker’s behalf. AdGuard reported in November 2017 that over 220 cryptojacking websites were found among the top 100,000 websites according to Alexa. And this trend is not likely to die down anytime soon.

As reported by Bitcoin Magazine in March 2018, the U.K.’s National Cyber Security Centre stated that “… it is likely in 2018-19 that one of the main threats will be a newer technique of mining…