Youtube Using Your CPU To Mine Coins? What is 'Cryptojacking?'

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It’s no secret that the internet is a scary place, it puts your computer and other valuable information about you at risk. Hackers are getting smarter and more efficient as cryptocurrencies become more mainstream. I think we can all agree that most hackers main incentive is to make money, and the easier the better, right?

As cryptocurrencies gain popularity everyone wants a piece of the pie. Now, you can use your own hard earned money to buy some coins or you can mine them. Simply (or not so simple), you can add transactions to the blockchain by using a CPU. To make a fair amount of money, a lot of hardware is required which is expensive and you need somewhere cool to store this hardware. However, explaining mining isn’t my forte so we will just carry on now.

But why would hackers spend their time going through loopholes trying to access your money when they could simply use a code while you’re watching a youtube video and use 8-% of your CPU power to mine their own coins without you knowing? It may be harmless to you as you wouldn’t take much notice besides the fact that your computer is slowing down. Youtube was recently caught using codes in their ads to do exactly that as several users reported amongst their own investigations after their antivirus alerted them that something was wrong.

(Tweets from users who found out that their CPUs were being used to mine through a code in JavaScript)

The coin that was being mined was the one and only Monero. The software that was used was coinhive, and it completely violates Google’s policies. The countries that are being affected are Japan, France, Taiwan, Italy, and Spain. Hackers are getting so smart! The proper term for these enterprise hackers is actually ‘Cryptojacking.’ This problem was handled within two hours, as the ads were blocked and the individuals responsible were removed from the platform although some speculation remains.

The thing is, that that wasn’t the first time and it will not be the last as cryptojacking becomes more prevelant and an easier path to make some easy money. Always be aware of your computer, make sure you have a great trustworthy antivirus to protect you from silent attacks such as these.