### Cryptocurrency mining Trojans are the new trend in the malware scene. No wonder the developers are constantly improving their malware.

<center>![sunset-3192063_640.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmXiLJ2hymkMDHytqD9nKZvLKAu5vgWNCftRwnHhAwD49X/sunset-3192063_640.jpg)
[pic source](https://pixabay.com)</center> 

The bandages in the battle for resources are getting tougher: The [ICS Sans](https://isc.sans.edu/forums/diary/The+Crypto+Miners+Fight+For+CPU+Cycles/23407/) has now discovered a crypto-miner that is looking for competitors in the first place and shuts them down in order to use the precious computing time for himself. In addition to the competing crypto-miners, the malware is able to recognize and terminate other processes that demand a lot of system performance, too.

The competitors switching off mining-trojan is targeting Windows users and disguised as an unsigned driver for HP printers in a 32- and 64-bit variant. It is currently unknown how the trojan is distributed and injected. Meanwhile, many virus scanners detect the Trojan and [sound the alarm](https://www.virustotal.com/#/file/3d8a6698ab0512ddf0c42826a570c2f82e3ec5e0f415538232353df937508042/detection).

<center>![virus-3075848_640.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmPkZ7T6UyjHSjybquLRBXBn8iCP3Uc86JZ77juZTmjCJE/virus-3075848_640.jpg)
[pic source](https://pixabay.com)</center>

Those who fear an infection will find in ICS Sans' article a list of Windows processes that often appear in the context of active crypto-trojans in the Task Manager. If one of them turns up in it, you should end the process.

### Crypto-miner instead of ransomware

Since cryptocurrency rates such as Bitcoin explode, many malware authors have turned to crypto-miners. These have been making more headlines than blackmail Trojans for several months, which have brought unbelievable amounts of money to blackmailers in recent years.

The secret mining of crypto-currency does not just happen through Trojans on infected computers. Criminals also abuse web browsers or Google's DoubleClick advertising platform for these purposes.

At the end of last year, software manufacturers became aware of this and offer various protection concepts. In the web browser often helps an ad blocker, which can also block mining scripts.

I published [a post about crypto-jacking and the countermeasure](https://steemit.com/technology/@pundito/crytojacking-are-you-vulnerable) some weeks ago.

Have a nice weekend and keep on steeming!

[Story source](https://www.heise.de/security/meldung/Malware-Der-Kampf-der-Krypto-Miner-3996202.html)

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