Mobile crypto mining malware is a growing smartphone threat

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The report published by the Russian security firm suggests that the prevalence of malicious software that uses consumers’ computers and smartphones to mine cryptocurrency is “steadily growing”.

“The total number of users who encountered this form of mining rose from 1,899,236 in 2016-2017, to 2,735,611 in 2017-2018,” the company elaborated. Both periods began in April and ended March in their respective years.

Additionally, smartphones are becoming more pronounced targets of cryptocurrency mining malware.

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“Mobile crypto miners are also emerging as a threat, with unique attacks growing by 9.5%,” the company notes.

“Overall, this form of mining targeted almost 5,000 users in 2017-2018, compared to around 4,500 users in 2016-2017. Mobile users in China and India are particularly victimised by this threat.”

But it’s not all grim. The firm noted that ransomware attacks fell by more than 8% during this period, and mobile ransomware, in particular, fell by 22.5%.