The Rise of Cryptojacking

Cryptojacking is like the 21st-century version of an uninvited guest who refuses to leave — and, shockingly enough, is stealing your WiFi. It involves hackers sneaking malware into everyday devices, hijacking them to mine cryptocurrencies without the owner’s permission. What a party crasher!

Operation Goldfish Alpha

In a noble attempt to put a stop to this digital heist, Interpol joined forces with cybersecurity firm Trend Micro, launching ‘Operation Goldfish Alpha’. This initiative targets the nefarious dealings on MikroTik routers, which were found to be vulnerable to such invasions.

These routers, popular in homes and businesses, were silently working overtime for the hackers. To combat this, Trend Micro whipped up a guide titled Cryptojacking Mitigation and Prevention to help users secure their devices. Who knew a router could require this much babysitting?

Stealing Your Processing Power

The malware, which infected thousands of routers, was particularly efficient at mining Monero (XMR) — the cryptocurrency that’s a hacker’s favorite because it’s a lot easier to mine with common CPUs. In layman’s terms, if the router is bustling with activity, hackers are raking in the dough from the shadows.

Hash Rates and Expected Earnings

So how much exactly are these digital bandits earning? Given an estimated 300 hashes per second from affected routers, it was calculated that the attackers could be making upwards of $13,000 a month from just 20,000 infected routers. That’s right, a small army of routers working harder than most of us on a Monday morning!

Damage Control

It’s worth noting that thanks to the vigilant efforts of national Computer Emergency Response Teams and police, over 20,000 affected routers were identified and cleaned up. A whopping 78 percent reduction was achieved, which sounds impressive until you realize that a further 180,000 routers were still left dealing with their unwelcome malware guests as of early 2019.

A Poignant Reminder

Although the operation made a dent, it’s clear that this fight against cybercrime is ongoing. The bigger picture here is that while $13,000 a month might sound like a hefty sum, it pales compared to the hundreds of millions lost to larger cyber attacks, like exchange hacks and data breaches.

In conclusion, cryptojacking serves as a stark reminder that in the world of cybersecurity, it’s best to lock your digital doors and install those necessary updates. Otherwise, you might just find a rogue entity using your router to pay for their weekend getaway!