What is a Bitcoin Miner Virus and how to tell if you have one
Cryptocurrencies have been recognized for years as a profitable way to invest, and we will often hear people call them the new gold. Many people are willing to invest in it, trying to secure a better future for themselves and their families. There are many advantages of investing in it and www.advfn.com witnesses it. However, just as investors recognized their value, so did hackers, so it’s no wonder that they broke into the system in all possible ways and took all your cryptocurrencies. Cybercriminals most often target miners, and companies are in big trouble because hackers sabotage and slow down their computer networks, which causes financial damage to companies while jeopardizing their revenues.
Thousands of Internet sites are infected with malware, which uses the power of computers to create and mine cryptocurrencies, which is a type of discrete piracy that is spreading rapidly, cybersecurity experts have warned. This type of malware uses the power of computers to create cryptocurrencies, such as the popular bitcoin, and then hackers download them without the knowledge of the computer owner.
What is Bitcoin Miner Virus?
This virus is also known as the Bitcoin virus or Mining virus, and to explain how malicious it is, we will identify it with a Trojan horse that does a lot of damage to a computer system, running complex tasks on it. In return, this virus generates bitcoin for its creators. Unfortunately, it is difficult to notice when a computer is infected with the Bitcoin virus. According to experts, this malware is trying to hide so that it only works when the user is not using their computer.
How do I know that a computer has been attacked by a Bitcoin miner virus?
You can spot Bitcoin malware by tracking the speed of your computer. It is said that the use of a computer’s CPU increases significantly when a virus infiltrates it, so don’t ignore such changes. Scan your computer using Reimage to double-check the system and remove the Bitcoin virus from your computer. Bitcoin miner virus is not just one virus, but a name for several different ones. Don’t let the name confuse you, so think that this virus is dangerous only for bitcoin. On the contrary, other currencies, such as Ethereum, are also at risk.
According to security experts, the Bitcoin virus most commonly spreads over the Skype network, but has also been spotted on other social networks so keep that in mind. Typically, the virus relies on spam messages that claim something like “this is my favorite picture” and contain malicious files. Of course, the virus tries to convince its victim to download the file to their computer. Once inside and active, the Bitcoin virus steals bank data, monitors keyboard keystrokes, and downloads even more malware infections to the target computer. Therefore, you need to remove the Bitcoin virus as soon as it enters your computer.
How does the virus spread?
Like infectious diseases, malware can spread and infect other systems in many ways. It depends on the author of the malware and its goals. Some want the malware to remain hidden for as long as possible (eg in targeted attacks), and some want to cause “noise”. The most common methods of spreading malware are as follows:
- Portable devices (USB memories and hard disks) – Some types of malware monitor the activity of USB ports and are copied to every USB device connected to the computer. When this USB is inserted into another device, the malware starts itself via the autorun function or, accidentally or intentionally, it is started by a user who is not aware that the malware exists.
- Network – Whether it is a wired or a wireless network, some malware scans the local network and tries to copy itself to devices that allow unauthorized users to upload files
- Email – Phishing emails are one of the biggest cyber threats and the basis for many cyber-attacks. Users constantly “fall” on these attacks, ie open malicious files in the attachment and/or links that lead to system compromise.
- Documents – Some types of malware are inserted (hidden) in Word and Excel documents. When a user opens an infected document, a malicious macro infects the device and sends its code to the addresses of the victim’s first 50 contacts.
- Sites – A very effective way to infect a huge number of users is to inject malware into a legitimate website. An attacker inserts malicious code and waits for users to download and run it. However, such an attack is not easy to report because the attacker must first have access to the site.
How do hackers make money from viruses?
There are several ways in which hackers get their money, and one of them is blackmail, ie locking the victim’s files until he pays the required ransom amount so that he can unlock them again. Very often, ransoms are sought in Bitcoin or some other cryptocurrency, because they are harder to track down. In addition to blackmail, hackers often use computer resources for mining without the victim even knowing it. There are also those viruses that send advertisements to the victims, and each opening of the advertisement and further click saves a certain amount of money.
Final thoughts
Basic virus protection on the computer itself is implemented using an anti-virus program. The idea is to install a computer program on the computer that will constantly check all the records that arrive on the computer. The program contains data that enables it to recognize various viruses. Therefore, the moment he encounters a record infected with a virus, he will prevent the activation of that record and raise the alarm. Simply put, a window will appear on the screen warning that a particular record is an infected virus. There are several commercial programs for this purpose, although people rarely set aside money for virus protection. That is why most of our users opt for different trial versions of the antivirus program, which usually have a limited duration. But no matter which program you choose, in the modern program for this purpose you will find the same options.
