As a company that offers cybersecurity in Miami, we come across a lot of online threats that clients never hear about. Cryptojacking is a relatively new risk that puts regular citizens and businesses at risk.
What is Cryptojacking?
Cryptojacking started to increase in popularity in 2017 – 2018 with the rise of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. “Mining” for these coins requires immense computing power and time, so hackers decided that it would be more effective to:
- Trick victims into downloading malware or malicious code
- Infect devices to gain control of them
- Mine cryptocurrency using the victim’s device and resources
Unless you’re a cybersecurity expert, you may not realize that you’re a victim of cryptojacking. Hackers also go to great lengths to ensure that they avoid detection, making it difficult for most people to verify that they’re a victim of cryptojacking.
How to Avoid Becoming a Victim of Cryptojacking
Avoiding cryptojacking is easy for a one-person business or the everyday person because it requires you to:
- Keep your antivirus software updated and running in real-time
- Access only reputable websites
- Avoid downloading files from unverified sources
- Remain diligent and not fall victim to phishing attacks
If you can follow the steps above, you’ll be well on your way to avoiding a cryptojacking attack. Businesses have a much harder time securing their networks because each employee increases the risk of an attack being a success.
For example, you may know all of the best practices to avoid viruses, malware and cryptojacking. However, when you hire someone new, they may take a more relaxed approach to these threats and may even bring their own devices into work.
If one of these devices is connected to the network or they transfer files to their workstation, there’s a chance that they’re also spreading the cryptojacking to your network.
Protecting Against Cryptojacking as a Business
Working with a cybersecurity expert is the first step to lowering your business’s risk of being a victim of cryptojacking. Minimizing these risks may mean:
- Installing an advanced network monitoring system that will alert you to any suspicious activity.
- Installing ad-blocking extensions on your network’s Internet browsers.
- Protecting your business’s endpoints with antivirus software.
- Utilizing web filtering to block sites that are known to have cryptojacking code on them so that you and your employees cannot access the site.
- Update your browser extensions and systems regularly.
- Block potential browser extensions from being installed if they’re believed to contain malicious code.
- Train employees on the best practices to avoid cryptojacking and put strict procedures and protocols in place to reduce the risk of cryptojacking.
Cryptojacking is not limited to only your workstation or computer systems. This malicious code is also being deployed to mobile devices. Taking precautionary measures to prevent cryptojacking is one of the best ways to lower your organization’s risk of becoming a victim.
Even if you take all of the appropriate measures and use your best efforts to stop an attack from occurring, you can still become a victim. Working with a security team that monitors your network and can act swiftly if cryptojacking does affect your business will lower your risk of becoming a victim of this cyber attack.