"Hijacking Computers to Mine Cryptocurrency Is All the Rage"

Security researchers have observed a significant increase in the launch of cyberattacks with the purpose of hijacking computers to perform the computationally demanding process that is mining cryptocurrency. Recently, a cryptocurrency mining tool was found to be embedded within the source code of Showtime’s website, which has brought attention to the rising trend of computer power-stealing cyberattacks to mine cryptocurrency. Researchers have discovered this same mining tool to be hidden within Chrome extensions, hacked Wordpress sites, and more. This article further discusses the discovery of a mining tool on Showtime’s website, other places on the Internet in which this mining tool has appeared, other approaches being used by hackers to hijack computers for the purpose of mining cryptocurrency, new alternatives to Bitcoin that are attracting hackers, and the rise of illegal mining operations by insiders. 

MIT Technology Review reports "Hijacking Computers to Mine Cryptocurrency Is All the Rage"