What does encryption hijacking mean? This is a threat that has become increasingly popular recently. As early as February 2018, mining with malicious encryption was the most frequently detected threat. In October last year, it was proposed that encryption hijacking would become the next major security issue. This practice, known as "crypto hijacking", involves the illegal use of computers, tablets, mobile phones or other networking devices to mine Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. So, how does encryption hijacking work? This is the content to be discussed in this article.

1、 What is encryption mining hijacking?

Crypto mining hijacking is a cyber crime in which the other party uses computing resources to mine Bitcoin or cryptocurrency. It is also called malicious encryption mining, which enables hackers to mine Bitcoin without paying for power, hardware or other mining resources.

Generally, encrypted mining hijacking malware attacks devices through conventional phishing methods. It can also embed itself in websites and execute in their web browsers when victims visit these websites. The targets of encryption mining hijacking hackers are personal computers, laptops, mobile devices, servers and cloud based infrastructure. Their goal is everyone from ordinary people to international government agencies.

Cryptographic mining hijacking is an alternative for Bitcoin miners, who do not like to use their own resources for mining. The core concept of crypto mining hijacking is that hackers use commercial and personal computer and equipment resources to mine cryptocurrencies on their behalf. Using these intruded machines, cyber criminals will suck the money they earn or steal into their digital wallets. Therefore, the CPU performance of these infected systems will be reduced and more energy will be required for processing.

2、 How does it work?

In order to mine cryptocurrencies, crypto mining hijacking uses JavaScript scripts to run on the website. These programs mine cryptocurrencies. There is no need to install JavaScript to start mining because most Internet users already have it installed.

In fact, because the computing power consumed is negligible, it is unlikely that users will observe any significant decline in the overall performance of the computer. Only when many events of the script run at the same time, such as when the user opens multiple browser windows at the same time, can the user feel the computer response degraded. In addition, the temperature of the processor will release a lot of heat, which is another sign that the safety of the device may be damaged.

Encryption mining hijacking not only involves stealing computer resources, but also leads to the consumption of battery power and energy, both of which are paid by the victim. It is also important that the life of computer hardware will undoubtedly be shortened if it is overused and overclocked.

This practice, known as "encrypted mining hijacking", has several different ways. One of the more common methods is to use malicious e-mail containing code that can install cryptocurrency mining software on your computer.

Phishing technology is used to achieve this goal. The victim will receive an email that appears to contain no malicious content, links or attachments. When clicked, encrypted mining scripts or extensions are downloaded to the computer. This triggers the execution of a piece of code. Later, the script is executed secretly in the background without the victim's knowledge.

The term for this type of miner is "web browser miner". Hackers use this technology to mine cryptocurrencies by inserting scripts for mining cryptocurrencies into websites or placing advertisements on many websites. If the victim visits an infected website or a malicious advertisement appears in the victim's browser, the script will run automatically. Both cases are considered successful implementation. Using this method, no malicious software will be left on the victim's PC.

summary

The above contents respectively explain the meaning and operation mode of encryption mining hijacking. Encryption mining hijacking is one of the most significant mobile security risks that you should take seriously. Fortunately, it is also one of the most accessible mobile security threats, because it can be prevented through vigilance and simple browser extensions. However, it can be challenging to manually detect an intrusion after it occurs, either locally on your PC or through a browser.