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Security Operations · Foundational

Cryptojacking

Unauthorized use of a victim's computing resources to mine cryptocurrency.

Definition

Cryptojacking malware or in-browser scripts use CPU or GPU cycles to mine coins such as Monero, raising power costs and degrading performance. In cloud environments, attackers spin up large instances with stolen credentials. Indicators include sustained high CPU, connections to mining pools and unexpected cloud bills.

Example

A compromised Kubernetes cluster running xmrig containers that connect to a Monero mining pool.

Exam tip

Unexplained high resource consumption is the key indicator; Security+ lists resource consumption under malicious activity indicators.

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