If you don’t know what exactly is cryptocurrency then do read our article about the same. Cryptocurrencies have been around from quite a few time, but now people have started understanding the concept, and hence are looking to mine them in order to get more profit. These virtual currencies use different types of encryption to be protected, on top of that they are decentralized, and hence you don’t have information about the next coin’s hash.
Crypto Mining is something which can help you to learn the hashes of new bitcoins, and this in the recent past has been gaining popularity. Due to many websites have been targeting to mine more and more bitcoins by using scripts and other techniques to use their client’s PC to mine some Bitcoins. Let us first see what exactly Cryptocurrency Mining is.
What is Cryptocurrency Mining?
If you are thinking that it is illegal, then it is not 100% illegal at least for the cryptocurrency, as it is the way a cryptocurrency is added to the digital ledger. With Cryptocurrency mining, the ledger updates and a new crypto coin is added into the flow.
The mining involves completing the hash key with complicated mathematical problems which are associated with the hash functions. Whenever you solve the problem and get the bitcoin you get a small amount, and in order to earn this amount. You can get associated with any website where you will be paid the amount for mining the Bitcoins.
In order to earn, more people have started to use an illegal way, where they just make a software or a script which works on different PCs. These scripts utilize a few your resources in order to mine the bitcoins. This usually doesn’t affect your computer’s performance till you are not doing any heavy task, but if you are using your PC for any type of work then the performance will suffer and you will have to use some measures to save the PC from the same.
Let us now look at the steps where you will have to look into the steps to save your PC from being used as a machine to mine bitcoins, and you are not also being paid for the same. But before going and performing the measures you will have to find out if your PC is being used for mining or not, or if there is any other virus or malware slowing down your PC.
How to find if your PC is mining Bitcoins/Cryptocurrencies Secretly?
There are different types of viruses and malware which can work to make your PC slow, but if you find that those are not the reason and still your PC is slowing down, then your PC might be busy in mining the bitcoins or any other cryptocurrency. The best way to track the same is using the included task manager to see if your resources are being spiked.
There are two ways in which your PC might be mining the coins are malware which runs the scripts, while the other way is the scripts embedded into the websites and result in them to mine the coins. Use the following steps:
- Open the Task Manager either by Alt + Win Key + Esc, or from the menu you get by right click on the taskbar.
- Head to the overview section and see if your PC is using more resources than it used to do earlier.
- If the browser is closed and still the PC is using the internet, then from the details tab see which application is using the internet, if there is a malware which is unrecognizable on the internet then most probably it is a bitcoin miner.
- If your browser is on and using any particular website and your resources are hiking of no reason, and even internet is being used without any update on the website, then there are high chances that your computer is being used with the help of JavaScript to mine bitcoins.
If you are using a Mac then you can use the Activity Monitor to make out the usage of your PC. Now if you are having any malware then you will have to use any other steps, but if you are having an issue with any website mining bitcoins on your PC with a web browser, then here are the steps you can take in order to protect your PC’s resources from being used for mining bitcoins.
Steps to block Bitcoin mining on Web Browser
Most of the websites use Coin Hive for mining, but there are other ways with these websites to mine using their client’s PC. These are a few ways in which you can block all such activities on your PC, till the miners search for new ways.
No Coin Chrome Extension
With every new thing being generated to harm your PC, there are even ways to protect. No Coin Extension for Google Chrome is one such way. By installing this Chrome extension will help you to stop mining of coins on your web browser. This is a free solution and is an open source one. Currently, the extension is reliable and safe, the plugin also controls how a website will be interactive with your web browser.
This plugin will also make you aware about the websites who are suspected or are doing any such activity, hence you can create a list of a websites doing such task, and be protected from using this website in future also. The plugin also has an option to whitelist any particular website for a particular time where you can allow the website to work as it wants.
minerBlock Chrome Extensions
Just like the No Coin extension, this one is also an open source tool which will be used to stop your PC being used in cryptocurrency mining via your web browser. This plugin has a list with them of the website which is suspected to be doing the mining task. The lists increase daily and hence you will get blocked from most of the websites who can damage the performance of your PC.
Blocking from the Hosts File
Technically there are many ways to use your PC for Bitcoin mining. If you have found the domains that are working to mine for bitcoins on your PC, then you can use the manual way to block them without using any other resource hungry plugins. Once you use the hosts’ file way, your PC will no longer be able to create any connection with particular domains and will redirect you to 0.0.0.0
If you are on windows then you will need administrative permissions to do the same. Open the hosts file from C:\Windows\System 32\drivers\etc. Do note that you must open the file with administrative permissions otherwise, you will not be able to save the file. Once done add “0.0.0.0 coin-hive.com” at the end of the file. Do note that this will only block the chains which are mined by coin-hive.com hence if you want to block any other website then add the domain address of that website too.
NoScripts in Firefox
If you are a firefox lover which is the best alternative to the Google Chrome, then you will have to use the JavaScript blocking extension such as NoScript. Do note that this will make all the websites to run without javascript, and hence many websites can be broken, and you will need to whitelist those sites to make them work the way they are intended to.
Block CoinHive using Opera
If you are the rarest of the lot who uses Opera for browsing, then you will need to follow these steps to block the CoinHive domain, and hence indirectly block the mining of bitcoins on your PC.
- Open Opera.
- Head to the settings which you can find in Preferences
- Use the basics tab to find the block ads button.
- Enter the domain you need to block and thereafter you will be saved from Bitcoin mining.
Malwarebytes
If you are worried about your PC being used for Bitcoin mining by malware then you must install a reputed malware blocker so that your PC will be saved from such malware, and even from others who keep on installing different malicious software. Do note that even the best-paid antivirus or malware protector can fail from the newly found one, hence you are not protected 100% even under the roof.
We hope that you have got all the necessary steps which you can use to make your PC saved from bitcoin/cryptocurrency mining. Do note that even if you are 100% sure, your PC might be secretly doing the same with a new way, for which there is still time to get a solution. Have you been into any such situations till now?
Do you know about any other websites working for mining coins on your PC? If yes do let us know in the comments so we can add that also into our article which will make sure that future readers are saved from the same.