While Cryptocurrency - the digital medium of exchange is flying high hosting strong incentives for businesses worldwide, its unknown dangers are benefitting the cryptojackers to mine for more money with less risk.

Cryptojacking is a cybercrime that involves unauthorized access to a victim’s computing power to generate cryptocurrency. A cybercriminal can secretly mine cryptocurrencies on the victim’s computer, smartphone, tablet, or server by installing cryptomining code called coin miners on the device. This is usually done by a phishing tactic that is encouraging the user to click on a malicious link or by infecting a script on a website or online ad with javascript code that auto-executes when loaded on the victim’s browser. The crypto mining script runs complex mathematical problems on the victim’s device and sends the results to a server controlled by the hacker. Through cryptojacking, cybercriminals consume high levels of electricity and computer power causing a slowdown in device performance, overheating, or automatic shutdown of devices.

However, by following a good cybersecurity program, using ad blockers, and browser extensions to block cryptojacking and disabling javascript,  deprive the hideous and undetected cybercriminals involved in cryptojacking of their main motive - Profit?

- MADHAVI DESAI