How to Prevent Cryptojacking?

Cryptojacking is not as dangerous as ransomware but a real threat. Let’s talk about how to prevent cryptojacking in your organization and the steps you can take to stay protected.

Cryptojacking is the illegal mining of cryptocurrency. The main motive is profit but unlike other threats, it stays completely hidden and runs in the background so the user isn’t aware of it. Cryptojacking also uses other people’s devices in an unauthorized manner. Victims don’t know that their smartphones, servers, or tablets are being used to mine for cryptocurrencies.

This guide will tell you all you need to know about these attacks and how to prevent cryptojacking threats.

What is Cryptojacking?

Cryptojacking is an attack where a threat will embed itself inside of a mobile device or a computer. It will then take control of the system’s resources and start mining for cryptocurrencies.

Cryptocurrencies are digital money or virtual currencies that take the form of tokens. One of the most popular cryptocurrency versions is Bitcoin and another is Ethereum. There are currently over 3000 more cryptocurrencies. Cryptojacking is an attack where a threat will embed itself inside a mobile device or a computer. It will then take control of the system’s resources and start mining for cryptocurrencies.

All cryptocurrencies are stored and distributed over a decentralized database that is known as blockchain. Blockchain networks regularly update and work together to process transactions. Complex mathematical equations are used to perform sets of transactions and combine them into blocks. All the blocks, all the changes, any changes in each of these blocks have to be authorized by the individuals who share and store information in them. People who trade computing resources for currency are known as miners.

There are teams of miners who can run dedicated computer rigs to process the necessary transactions.

Miners need a massive amount of computational process to process the necessary transactions. The Bitcoin network currently uses more than 7373 TWh of energy every year. Cryptojacking is an attack where a threat will embed itself inside of a mobile device or a computer and take advantage of Blockchain networks’ computing powers and resources.

How Does Cryptojacking Work?

Cryptojackers will mine for cryptocurrency without investing much in the computational prowess, they don’t want to pay for expensive hardware or large electricity bills. Cryptojacking offers hackers a way to get cryptocurrency without facing large overheads.

They mine these currencies on personal computers which are difficult to trace. Cryptojacking threats depend on the rise and fall of cryptocurrencies. However, in the recent years, cryptojacking incidents have gone down a bit because law enforcement officials are cracking down on the proliferation of cryptocurrencies.

CoinHive was a website that worked with crypto miners and it was recently shut down. Its source code was abused a lot and the mining script could be injected by hackers into various websites without the site owner’s knowledge. After it shut down, cryptojacking events continued. Cryptojacking went through a sharp drop. The main motivator behind cryptojacking attacks is easy money. Making money without incurring large costs is one of the biggest incentives.

To understand how cryptojacking works, you need to realize that cryptocurrencies operate by using distributed databases. These databases are what we call blockchains and each blockchain is updated regularly with data about recent transactions. Every transaction requires an update and everyone will roll over their updates, merging recent transactions into blocks, which will be decided by carrying out complex mathematical processes.

Cryptocurrencies need to create new blocks and individuals will have to provide the necessary computation computing power for them. Cryptocurrencies are also rewarded to miners who are the people who are known for providing the required computer power. Large teams of miners may run dedicated computer rigs and contribute to processes that require huge amounts of electricity. Cryptojackers bypass these requirements and they attempt to exploit others who provide the computing power.

Signs Your System May Be Infected with Cryptojacking Malware

Although cryptojacking is not as malicious or harmful as ransomware, it can’t be completely disregarded as a minor cyber threat. Cryptojacking can cost organizations and victims both direct and indirect losses. The targets pay more than what’s expected for shelling out their computing power. They don’t realize that their resources are being used by others.

Cryptojacking attacks can go undetected for months or years, and the price can be increased. To determine their true origins or hidden costs. There is also mobile mining malware available these days that can expand from the batteries of infected devices and affect phones to the point of physically deforming them.

When you maliciously mine for cryptocurrency it puts a load on your mobile phones, the batteries of infected devices might expand to the point where phones get physically deformed. The issue of wasted bandwidth and it can decrease the efficiency and speed of computing workloads.

Cryptojacking malware can cause performance issues and cause an immediate impact on customers and business workflows. End users also affected and your staff might be unable to access critical data during times when they need it.

Cryptojacking attacks can be used as a decoy for launching larger scale attacks such as ransomware or multi-stage extortion attempts. It can misdirect your users and derail them from the more serious threats. These attacks can be combined with virus attacks to assault victims with ads and also also be combined with scareware tactics so that they end up paying ransoms. Most cryptojacking attacks are financially motivated but their true aim may might be to overload infected systems and increase physical damages.

Here is how cryptojacking attacks operate: The first and foremost way cryptojacking starts is by trying to persuade the victim to load crypto mining code onto their devices. The hacker might use social engineering, phishing or similar methods to encourage them to click on and activate links.

When a user interacts with the email and clicks on the malicious code, if the script the crypto mining script would be executed on the device and it will run in the background.

The second way cryptojacking works is by injecting the code into the device and it will run in the background of websites or as ads. When a victim opens these websites or clicks on clicks on the ads that are presented on to them, the cryptojacking script will be automatically executed.

The results of whatever the script passes will be sent to a server that is directly controlled by the hacker. Hybrid cryptojacking attacks might combine both these two strategies and increase the efficacy of browser-based cryptojacking attacks. Some crypto mining scripts can warm their way and in and infect other servers and devices on target networks.

Best Practices to Prevent Cryptojacking Attacks

One of the best ways you can prevent cryptojacking attacks is by instructing your IT team about potential pitfalls and how to detect them. They should know the initial signs and stages of a cryptojacking attack and be able to identify all stages of the cryptojacking attack lifecycle.

You also want to make sure that they are prepared to respond immediately with the ability to carry out further investigations on their own. Your employees should be educated on recognizing signs such as when computer systems are behaving abnormally or overheating. They should know to avoid clicking on suspicious links and malicious attachments in emails and only download files from trusted and verified sources.

Your organization should also install anti-crypto mining extensions to automatically block cryptojacking scripts whenever your users visit different websites through the web browser. There are many browser extensions that can block crypto miners across the World Wide Web. You can also use ad blockers to deny cryptojacking scripts from being executed. Disable JavaScript whenever you surf the web online to prevent cryptojacking code from being injected. Disabling JavaScript will automatically block some of the functions that are needed when web browsing, so that’s something to consider.

How to Detect and Remove Cryptojacking Malware?

The most obvious sign that a cryptojacking attack has infected your device is the deviation of standard behaviors. Your systems might experience decreased performance, slower processing times and might crash unexpectedly.

Another sign is that the battery drains way more quickly than not that it normally would. Resource-intensive processes can cause systems to overheat and damage your computers. They could shorten the lifespan of your devices and cryptojacking scripts are known to overload websites. CPU usage that goes up even when there is little to no media content, so on the websites that you browse. That’s a clear sign of a cryptojacking script running in the background.

You can run a test to check your CPU usage on the device by using the Task Manager or Activity Monitoring tool. However, the downside to this detection is if your computer is already running at maximum capacity, then it could run slowly. So if the script is running in background, in such a case, then troubleshooting and finding out more about it is difficult.

Real-World Examples of Cryptojacking Attacks

The USAID was recently victimized by a password spray attack which costed it roughly $500,000 in Microsoft Service charges. Crypto-jacking via CVE-2023-22527 had dissected a full-scale crypto-mining ecosystem.

The critical vulnerability had impacted affected environments, and threat actors had used methods like deploying shell scripts and XMRig miners. They targeted SSH endpoints and killed competing crypto-mining processes, and maintained persistence via cron jobs.

Another example of a cryptojacking attack in the real world is the case of TripleStrength and how it hit cloud. The threat actor had mined operations on hijacked cloud resources and conducted ransomware activities. It engaged in a trifecta of malicious campaigns like ransomware, extortion, and cryptocurrency mining.

Conclusion

Cryptojacking is a continuous and developing threat that can silently leach your resources and impact system performance. We revealed that proactive measures such as employee education, vigilant monitoring, and robust security solutions are required to combat these covert attacks. With an understanding of the attack vectors and implementing practical solutions, organizations can minimize risk and maintain operational integrity.Do not let cybercriminals exploit your systems—take action today and defend your network with expert guidance. Contact SentinelOne today to strengthen your cybersecurity defenses.

FAQs

What is cryptojacking in cyber security?

Cryptojacking is a type of cyber attack where attackers secretly utilize your computer’s processing power to mine cryptocurrencies. The background process, usually unknown to the user, slows down the system and drains excessive power. Cyber attackers can hijack personal as well as business devices by taking advantage of software or website vulnerabilities, making it difficult to detect and highlighting the importance of strong security.

How does cryptojacking assist hackers in mining cryptocurrency?

Hackers use cryptojacking to install secret mining scripts into websites, applications, or spam emails. When a user clicks on an infected website or opens an infected document, the script hijacks and leverages the system’s computing power to mine cryptocurrency. The hidden operation drains system resources, slows down speeds, and goes unnoticed for extended periods, making it an opportunity with low risk but high reward for attackers.

How do companies identify cryptojacking threats?

Firms can detect cryptojacking attacks by monitoring suspicious system behavior, such as sudden CPU spikes, overheating, or unexpected battery draining. Constant resource monitoring with system tools such as Task Manager can enable the detection of hidden mining processes. Additionally, network monitoring installation and implementation of sophisticated cybersecurity solutions can identify anomalies and malicious scripts.

Why is cryptojacking a serious threat?

Cryptojacking is serious because it secretly exploits system resources, culminating in sluggish performance, increased energy consumption, and potential hardware degradation. Stealthy mining may cause large-scale disruption of business processes and other unforeseen expenses. In addition, cryptojacking tends to mask more malicious cyberattacks and is a portal to other exploits. As such, it is necessary to detect it early and implement effective cybersecurity to protect individual and organizational assets.

Are ad blockers effective at preventing cryptojacking scripts?

Ad blockers can offer protection against cryptojacking by preventing the running of malicious scripts included in online ads. However, ad blockers are not the complete answer because sophisticated cryptojacking techniques can bypass them. Companies need to combine ad blockers with dedicated security software and regular system scans to offer adequate protection. Layered security will offer a better defense against many cryptojacking attacks.