New cryptocurrency mining malware takes your PC down if you try to kill it
A particularly deadly form of cryptocurrency malware that not only hijacks your computer’s resources for mining, but also crashes your PC if an anti-virus tries to remove it, or if you try to kill it manually, has emerged.
The so-called WinstarNssmMiner malware is designed to mine the Monero currency, and is estimated to have already successfully mined over £18,500-worth of it —equivalent to 133 tokens. To date there have been around half a million attempted attacks, according to ZDNet.
So how is the malware so lethal? It’s a process that comes in two stages, first by running a pair of processes that allow it to check behind its shoulder for anti-virus protection while it mines the digital currency, before it then tampers with your system to allow it to crash it at will.
This crash will occur either if your anti-virus software discovers the malware and attempts to remove it, or if you try to terminate the process directly.
It all sounds pretty bleak, but the malware is reportedly a little bit of a coward, and will refuse to run at all if you’ve got a halfway decent piece of anti-virus software installed. Speaking of which, here are some recommendations…
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So, as with most threats to your PC, the solution is to always be prepared for the worst. Make sure your system is running all the latest security updates, and use a decent anti-virus program to keep threats like this at bay.
Have you had any luck mining cryptocurrency on your own machine? Get in touch with us @TrustedReviews.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
