Cyber Risks · Krebs on Security

Coinhive Exposé Prompts Cancer Research Fundraiser

Summary: A Krebs on Security investigation published this week identified Dominic Szablewski, aka "cha0s," as the creator of Coinhive, a cryptocurrency mining service several security firms have labeled the most ubiquitous malware threat on the Internet, with its code found on tens of thousands of hacked Web sites. After the story ran, members of the German image board pr0gramm, which Szablewski founded, donated to German cancer research charity Deutsche Krebshilfe under the hashtag "#KrebsIsCancer," with more than 8,300 people giving 207,500 euros (~USD $256,000).

Why it matters: Coinhive's mining code sat on tens of thousands of compromised sites, and its operator only added legal contact information and stopped profiting from mining on hacked sites after being publicly identified. The site also drew several small DDoS attacks and anonymous threats of physical violence and death over the story.

Read the original at Krebs on Security ↗

Topics
Data Breaches
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