
Under certain circumstances (high room temperature, bad cooling system, etc.), a CPU can easily overheat and need replacing. Although a CPU might have this self-protective feature, it is not fail-safe. Furthermore, a CPU running at maximum capacity might shut itself down to prevent overheating - behavior that can lead to permanent data loss (unsaved documents). Taking most computer resources will make the infected system virtually unusable. The malware itself is not particularly malicious - it simply uses computer CPUs without users' consent, however, this may lead to various problems. To effortlessly generate revenue, cyber criminals infect regular users' computers with XMR Miner.
#Macminer avast mac
Here, we address a malicious Monero miner called XMR Miner that targets Mac computers.Īs mentioned above, cryptomining is a costly and problematic process. This hardware costs thousands of dollars, a situation that has been tackled by cyber criminals. In any case, extremely powerful hardware is necessary to make the process efficient (using low-end components does not generate enough revenue to pay electricity bills).

Depending on the cryptocurrency, different computer components (CPU or GPU) are used. Crypto coins are mined by essentially using computers to solve various mathematical problems. This drew attention from the public and also, cyber criminals.Įxample of CPU usage during the mining process:Ĭryptocurrencies can be acquired in two ways: buying and mining.

As Bitcoin was rising, other popular cryptocurrencies (such as Ethereum, Monero, Litecoin, etc.) were also gaining value. Although Bitcoin is the most powerful cryptocurrency, there are hundreds of others. Gradually, though, the price began to rise significantly - in January, 2017, Bitcoin's price was around $1,000. In the early stages, Bitcoin was virtually worthless. Although it is almost 10 years since the first cryptocurrency ( Bitcoin) was released, establishing the currency in the market took several years.
