No matter what critics say, it’s clear we’re in the midst of a digital gold rush.
Many cryptocurrencies have exploded in value in recent months; Ethereum, for instance, skyrocketed from $8 at the start of 2017 to $289 at the time of writing, while Litecoin’s value grew from $4 to $50 across the same time period. The total market capitalization of cryptocurrencies jumped to almost $180 bn from $19 bn in only 8 months!
Of course, it’s not only tech-savvy investors who are enjoying the frothy conditions. The lively crypto market has naturally drawn the attention of cybercriminals and hackers, but it’s also attracting crafty website operators who are using sneaky code to turn website visitors into cryptocurrency miners without their consent.
The latter activity raises all sorts of interesting questions. Should in-browser mining be considered criminal activity? Is it simply the next step in the evolution of adware? Or could it be a legitimate way for developers to finance free software?
Is cryptocurrency mining malware the new adware?
