Why Hackers Love Cryptocurrency Miner Coinhive
A brilliant idea to monetize internet traffic appears to be running amok.
You may have encountered it. Computer code that has found its way into tens of thousands of websites secretly siphons CPU processing power to mine a digital currency called Monero.
The code's developer, Coinhive, rakes in the dough, but some security researchers claim it's a form of malware, and say the code is lining the pockets of hackers, too. "It's becoming a new revenue stream for cybercriminals," said Troy Mursch, an independent security researcher.