More than 70% of all losses from crypto hacker attacks are accounted for by hidden mining programs – Chainalysis.

Malware for hidden mining brought the most losses from 2021 to 2017, about 73% of the total. This is the conclusion reached by Chainalysis analysts in their new report.

Program for hidden mining or cryptojacking is an infected sсript that allows attackers to remotely use someone else’s power to mine coins. Usually, the virus gets to the victim’s device unnoticed, adding itself to the exceptions of the antivirus and protection systems. Because of this, it can be noticed far from immediately.

Due to uncontrolled mining, infected devices overheat and even fail. Also, the most unpleasant moment is the enormous financial losses due to the impressive costs of electricity.

Experts from Chainalysis believe that such software is the most common cryptocurrency malware. Cryptojacking programs are pretty easy to use and do not require special technical training. Also, a big plus for attackers is that usually, such a sсript weighs little. Because of this, the virus is easily embedded in any torrent or open file library while remaining almost invisible.

Most of the cryptojacking software is created for Monero(XMR) mining. It is believed that this is the high anonymity of this cryptocurrency. Unlike bitcoin, it is almost impossible to track who, when, to whom and how many coins were transferred. According to a report by Palo Alto Networks, 5% of all Monero was mined by cryptojackers. This amounts to more than $100 million.

To protect your devices from infection with this malware, you should follow a few simple rules. First, updаte your operating systеm periodically and install a good antivirus. Also, it is worth downloading a particular extension to block cryptominers on the Internet. For example, MinerBlock, No Coin, or Anti Miner. Carefully download any files from unverified sources and carefully check file extensions. For example, you downloaded a movie whose extension should be .mp4 or .mkv. The torrent file .exe is typical for a program but not for a media file. Thus, the attackers play on the inattention of the user.