Another case of cryptojacking has been discovered on YouTube this week. Cryptojacking occurs when your computer is being used for the mining of cryptocurrencies without your knowledge and authorization. The newest case on YouTube has been successfully solved by Google, according to Ars Technica. The report says that a group of anonymous hackers managed to start advertisements on YouTube that were using the computer and electric power of the users who saw those ads to mine cryptocurrencies on behalf of the hackers.
Numerous users started reporting this problem with YouTube on social media, saying their antivirus software discovered a malicious code used for the mining of cryptocurrencies in the ads showed by YouTube.
According to the cybersecurity company Trend Micro, the attackers managed to set up the malware on YouTube through the Google DoubleClick advertising platform. The ads were disproportionately targeting people from France, Japan, Italy, Spain and Taiwan.
The majority of the ads, over 90%, used a JavaScript code provided by CoinHive, a controversial mining platform that allows its users to earn cryptocurrencies by using other people’s computers without authorization.
Trend Micro reported that YouTube ads were responsible for the triple increase of the web mining in the world.
Based on the reports from the users, Google, the owner of YouTube, announced that the situation was solved in a few hours. According to Google, the ads were blocked in less than two hours, and the malware was quickly removed from the platforms.
However, there is no precise information when it comes to the time frame of the attacks, because Google did not provide any additional information. On the other hand, Trend Micro claims the warnings about the malware ads started appearing on January 18th.
In January, a company for software protection called Check Point published a report about the diffusion of the malware for the illegal mining of cryptocurrencies, saying that 55% of the companies around the world are affected by these attacks. According to the report, CoinHive is the the most wanted malware software for the illegal mining of cryptocurrencies.
