UK Cybersecurity Division issues a warning about "cryptojacking"

In recent communications, the Security Division of the United Kingdom raised an alert about the risks associated with "cryptojacking" practices.

In the official report issued by the division, cryptojacking was classified as a cyber threat to commerce in the United Kingdom. In accordance with what is stated in this report, we have to:

"Cyber ​​attacks have caused financial losses to countless companies of various categories. The costs diverge from the attacks themselves, since the repair of damages, as well as the recovery of consumer confidence, is equivalent to an investment of capital. For this reason, the application of the general data protection regulation that could lead to severe sanctions for organizations that fail to comply with data protection has been considered. "

With the emergence of new technologies and those associated with e-commerce practices, the rate of criminal acts has increased, which not only puts the integrity of companies at risk, but also subjects the privacy and security of the user or consumer.

In general, the division is concerned about cryptojacking, defined as the unauthorized use by an individual or organization of desktop computers, laptops, smartphones and IoT devices of other users to mine cryptocurrencies. Of course, this is considered a serious offense, as illegal beneficiaries take advantage of the computing power of third-party equipment, in addition to putting personal data at risk.

A week ago it was revealed that the coinHive malware is the most recurrent in the practice of cryptojacking. Adding to this fact, there are currently some 4,000 infected sites that bring the government and cybersecurity entities of various nations to take radical measures to prevent future attacks.

The report also highlights that:

"The practice of mining cryptocurrencies through malware has been used for several years, however, it is likely that one of the main threats of this 2018 and 2019 involves a new practice that exploits visitors to a website."

In the report, the authorities of the cybersecurity division advise users to keep abreast of the sites they visit, as well as with the antivirus update and ad-blockers applications.