In recent years, the rise of cryptocurrency has awakened hackers to put up with cybercrime. Cryptojacking is one of the major attacks in this stealthy attack cybercriminals hijack your computers or gadgets to steal the victim's resources without their consent. If you're concerned about your device being targeted and looking for security measures to defend against these malicious actors, keep reading. In this article, we'll explain what crypto-jacking is and how to protect yourself against crypto-mining malware. So let’s get started!
What Is Cryptojacking?
Cryptojacking is a type of cyber attack, in this type of attack hackers, use some sort of payload and install them into the victim's computers or gadgets without their consent. These payloads enable the hacker to utilize the victim's machines for the mining process and in return, the hacker would receive some reward in their own wallets. The main significance of this attack is that the victim's system can be halted, overheated, slowed down, and sometimes could be crashed.
Cryptojacking attacks mostly use malware that is embedded with some malicious software or malicious website and ads. Here are some factors through which this malware could be installed in your own systems and you could become the next victim of this attack:
- Malicious Software Installation: Most of the time we download software from unknown sites, and it is embedded with different sorts of malicious programs backend. When we install this software in our OS the existing malicious files can totally ruin our system.
- Visiting Unknown Websites: Sometimes we visit unknown websites that are full of malicious files or have a lot of malware and viruses. Here even with a single click or cursor movement the malicious file could be installed in your systems.
- Clicking on Unknown Resources: Most of the time when we explore the internet, there would be different ads, pop-ups, and message boxes displayed on the screen. It is possible they have a malicious file backend and after granting your permission or clicking on the permission button, the malicious file could be installed on your system.
How to Protect Yourself Against Crypto Mining Malware?
To protect yourself against crypto mining malware there are the following precautionary measures you have to follow:
- Use antivirus software: Antivirus is software that contains the signature of all possible malware or viruses through which it can detect any kind of virus before installation into your system. When you try to install any software, it would be blocked by an antivirus in case of malicious software otherwise would be granted to install.
- Keep your software up to date: Always use the updated version of the software, and avoid installing the oldest version because it is possible it may contain a lot of vulnerabilities through which you could be compromised by the malicious files.
- Use ad-blocking software: Use different software to block malicious ads and pop-ups.
- Use a browser extension: Use browser extensions to block the crypto mining scripts. The most commonly used browser extensions are NoCoin or MinerBlock
- Be cautious when downloading software: Always use reputable sites to download the software and always check the software in the sandbox before installation.
- Monitor your device's performance: Monitor the task manager in case of overheating and when the system slows down.
Conclusion
In conclusion, crypto-jacking is a serious threat for almost everyone that can compromise your computer's processing power and leave you with a slow system as well as steal your computer resources. To protect your devices against this type of cyber attack, it's essential to take security measures to defend against this type of attack like using antivirus software, using ad-blocking software, keeping your software up to date, and monitoring your system activity. By following these security measures, you can minimize the risk of crypto-jacking and ensure your system is secure and in a protected zone.
