The rapidly evolving world of crypto mining has seen its fair share of creative, and sometimes invasive, approaches to achieving its goals. From starting with gurus, to spreading to common folk, then specialized equipment, mining pools, Cloud mining, and now even the trading of mining power and mining contracts.
A few months ago, Tidbit, MIT and the New Jersey division of consumer affairs tangoed over the proof-of-concept created by students that lets you replace display advertising with Bitcoin mining revenue by tapping into an internet user's CPU resources. And recently, Android devices were hacked for mining power, of which over one million were reportedly affected.
Now, RT News reports how hackers got into Hikvision DVR surveillance systems. They installed self-replicating malware that used the closed-circuit TV cameras for mining and returning coins. This is the first known instance where a system not based on Windows, Linux or Android was targeted, a system which doesn't work with GPU cards that are more fitting for mining. While making use of video functionality, it is assessed that the attack was a fraction as productive as more typical mining methods.
Johannes Ullrich, an instructor at the computer security SANS Technology Institute, noticed the malicious software on the DVR's:
“Analysis of the malware is still ongoing, and any help is appreciated. Here are some initial findings: The malware is an ARM Binary, indicating that it is targeting devices, not your typical x86 Linux server. The malware scans for Synology devices exposed on port 500.”
Perhaps the next generation of invasive mining may target more productive apparatus, such as servers and supercomputers.
