Cryptocurrencies and digital tokens are the inventions of the decade, and there is little doubt about it. Thousands of people have amassed fortunes with Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Monero, and many others.
If you do your diligence and patiently ‘mine’ for cryptocurrencies, and if you have the equipment to do so, then you could very well be the next Bitcoin millionaire after some time. And a fair percentage of people look from afar as these people solve their futures without harming anybody. Are they inflicting damage to other users while mining for digital coin?
The activity of mining for cryptocurrencies is not illegal or bad, per se. However, malicious developers have created malware that uses people’s computers to do so without any kind of permission, which is illegal, immoral and abusive.
Is Your Computer Sluggish or Slow?
The proliferation of websites and pages being infected with malware destined to use other people’s equipment to mine has the Bitcoin and altcoin communities extremely worried and with good reason.
The worst thing about the situation is that there were some of the most widely spread and famous websites harboring the malicious mining code. You could visit one of those pages and, without knowing, fall victim of this malware.
What do Crypto Miners Need?
The activity of mining crypto coins usually requires enormous computing power. Since the system is decentralized, there is no central computer monitoring the movements. Instead, there are numerous computers performing calculations and that is going to determine the financial patterns and changes of the said digital currency.
A common activity is to purchase the appropriate equipment to ‘mine’ for cryptocurrencies; that is a computer with a fairly significant number of Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). That way, they will do the computations and solve the right algorithms and the system will reward them with a specific amount of the said cryptocurrency.
Some of the Biggest Websites Use user Traffic for Crypto mining!
Revelations that some of the most prominent websites in the world, such as The Pirate Bay and Showtime, have been caught in the undesirable act of using their visitors’ computing power to earn profit via cryptocurrency mining, have shocked the world and turned on the alerts.
Naturally, the allegations against these sites brought fear among the community, because no one wants their computer being used for mining Bitcoin, or any other altcoin, without their permission or consent.
Of course, users may implement a series of methods and measures to properly identify if/when their equipment is being used for this purpose. For their part, The Pirate Bay apologized for its actions, saying that it was better for them and for users to justify what they were doing instead of implementing paid advertising, given the illegality of the site.
The reactions around the Internet world were mixed. Numerous users didn’t mind that the processing power of their computers was used for crypto mining, but felt betrayed and unsafe knowing that some sites had such power over their connection.
Others felt mad about their computing power being used for that matter, because it affected their hardware in varying degrees. However, you can learn whether your computer is being used for Bitcoin mining by doing any of the following things:
Check your CPU usage to Find out if Bitcoin Mining is Happening!
The most basic way to determine if your computer is being used for Bitcoin mining is checking the CPU usage. You can do this on the resource monitor of your device while looking at the list of applications currently running and using processing power.
Now, incremented CPU usage, at least in abnormal levels, may mean that there are Javascript running and taking most of your processing power. Try closing your browser window or rebooting your system: if you are still watching high usage levels in your CPU, then chances are that you have malware “hijacking” your PC and forcing it to mine without your consent.
Install an ad blocker to Prevent Bitcoin Mining
Having the ability to block ads will significantly improve your online experience, especially when dealing with problems such as unauthorized cryptocurrency mining. An ad blocker will protect yourself and your computer against CPU hijacking and piracy because, although the infection can occur by just visiting the site, there have been documented cases of ads serving as a channel for this activity.
The Internet is full of ad blocking alternatives, so you need to carefully research the reliability and effectiveness of each one. Some of them are designed to recognize and dismiss browser CPU kidnapping attacks.
Install a VPN to Prevent Bitcoin Mining
A Virtual Private Network, or VPN, is an encryption tool that allows users to hide their IP address and traffic so they cannot be easily recognized while browsing the web. While it is true that a VPN alone will not make you indestructible, it can help in protecting your CPU from unauthorized usage for cryptomining.
Connecting to a certain site or page through a VPN server will make it more difficult for malware designed to hijack your CPU and use for mine Bitcoin or altcoin, making a reliable VPN provider a useful option for enhanced privacy, security, and anonymity.
There is an enormous amount of VPN services out there in the market, so you need to determine which one you are going to hire according to several factors, including the characteristics of your equipment, connection, speed, performance, price, features, encryption, servers, and locations.
The top option available right now is TorGuard, a very reliable and secure VPN with some of the strongest encryption in the field. In addition, TorGuard offers the ability to unblock content in more than 50 countries and has the best and most responsive customer service.
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Check for malware to Stop Bitcoin Mining
The resource monitor can help you identify malware associated with cryptocurrency mining you haven’t allowed. Additionally, there are more forms of malware that can penetrate the security system of your PC, so installing antivirus software would go a long way protecting your digital assets.
In conclusion, Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies are the themes of the moment, and there are literally millions of people looking for a way to obtain this precious digital coin. While it is true that the Bitcoin recently dropped in value, it is still a valuable asset and the future is still bright for it.
Each passing year, more and more people search for ways to earn Bitcoin and altcoin. The mining process consists on taking advantage of the central processing units and the graphics processing units of computers to solve algorithms and earn rewards, usually in the form of digital currency.
However, not every computer is prepared to endure the CPU usage necessary to mine Bitcoin. That is why the process is more efficient with proper hardware, and that’s also why regular computers are not perfectly suited for the activity. Recently, some websites such as The Pirate Bay and Showtime have allowed malware that hijacks the users’ system to mine cryptocurrency, releasing rage, disappointment and uneasiness.
Hiring a VPN can help you remain anonymous on the web and make yourself more difficult to reach for these malware software developments. TorGuard is the most reliable alternative in this regard by virtue of its robust encryption, features and high level of responsiveness.
However, the most effective measures to take if you want to know whether your computer is being used for Bitcoin mining or not, are the use of ad blocking software or tools and checking the usage rate of your central processing unit.
The resource monitor in your computer shows which applications are running and using the processing power of your machine. If you see abnormal activity after you close your browser window, then the probabilities of your PC being used for Bitcoin mining are high, and you should do something about it.
