{"id":252029,"date":"2018-03-13T14:10:49","date_gmt":"2018-03-13T12:10:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/?p=252029"},"modified":"2018-03-13T14:12:32","modified_gmt":"2018-03-13T12:12:32","slug":"how-to-protect-your-pc-from-cryptojacking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/security\/252029-how-to-protect-your-pc-from-cryptojacking.html","title":{"rendered":"How to protect your PC from cryptojacking"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Cryptojacking” has become a major security threat for PC users around the world.<\/p>\n

The term refers to malicious software or scripts which secretly use your device’s resources to mine cryptocurrency.<\/p>\n

These programs use your CPU or GPU to mine cryptocurrency and send it to an attacker’s wallet address, usually resulting in performance decreases on the victim’s machine.<\/p>\n

Embedded cryptocurrency mining scripts in webpages could be a legitimate income source if visitors are consulted and notified of the script, but many perform this operation without the visitor’s consent.<\/p>\n

Malware which runs cryptocurrency mining software is more malicious, as it aims to constantly drain a victim’s PC’s performance – even when no other programs are open.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, there are several ways to combat cryptojacking scripts in webpages and malware.<\/p>\n

Browser miners<\/h3>\n

If you visit a webpage and notice that your device is running slowly, open your task manager and check if your browser is consuming unusually high amounts of CPU or GPU processing power.<\/p>\n

These hidden scripts use your device’s physical resources to mine cryptocurrency, and the effects of the programs are therefore relatively easy to spot.<\/p>\n

You can also search the page’s HTML information for any references to “Coinhive” or other cryptojacking scripts.<\/p>\n

To protect yourself from these scripts, you can install browser extensions which detect and block cryptojacking scripts on all websites.<\/p>\n

These vary depending on the browser you use, but several popular add-ons are already being used globally.<\/p>\n

Please note that using browser extensions carry their own risks, and they could block other elements on certain webpages.<\/p>\n

Two popular anti-cryptojacking extensions, available on Chrome and Firefox, are:<\/p>\n