- Vulnerable internet-connected devices from security cameras to smartphones can be hijacked by hackers and turned into tools to mine cryptocurrencies, cybersecurity firm Avast demonstrated.
- So-called internet of things devices can be attacked and the computing power of all the gadgets can be used to mine the digital coin monero.
- Avast said that 15,000 hacked internet-connected gadgets would be needed to mine $1,000 of cryptocurrency in four days.
Vulnerable internet-connected devices from security cameras to smartphones can be hijacked by hackers and turned into tools to mine cryptocurrencies, a cybersecurity company has demonstrated.
Avast, which is based in the Czech Republic, ran a demonstration on Wednesday at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, which had a number of devices running on a network powering a cryptocurrency mining software.
Mining is the process of verifying transactions on a cryptocurrency network by solving complex mathematical problems with high-powered computers. Bitcoin is very difficult to mine without having a super computer, but another cryptocurrency called monero can be done with a network of internet-connected devices.
Aryan Nava 