Malware Can Turn Your PC into Bitcoin Miner

Security experts have discovered a new type of “ransomware” that blocks access to the Internet and turns your PC into a Bitcoin miner pending payment of a ransom. The malware was named “Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Linkup”, and security specialists admit it differs from previous examples of ransomware. The matter is that the program doesn’t directly lock the machine or encrypt files – it rather blocks access to the Internet by modifying your DNS. Moreover, it can also turn a machine into a Bitcoin mining robot.

When an infected PC loads up any page, its user is redirected to a fake site accusing them of having viewed “child porn” and demanding payment of one-cent fine. The latter is taken by the user inputting their credit card number, and you can understand that it is very unlikely that the malware developers will limit themselves to just one cent. But this is not all. Once installed, the malware is also trying to download Bitcoin-mining software, which then uses your processor to perform the energy-intensive tasks to mine for Bitcoin. There is the risk to damage the computer and run up a large electricity bill.

Security experts point out that in the case of Linkup, if a hacker manages to get more computing power, they will be able to earn more Bitcoins. This is the reason why aside from blocking online browsing, the malware also tries to connect the infected PC to a Bitcoin-mining botnet. The latter combines the computing power of multiple infected machines to earn new Bitcoins for a hacker.

In the meantime, security experts point out that Linkup is quite a fearsome combination of different types of malware, but not the most dangerous one. For example, Cryptolocker, the virus that forced an American police department to pay about $1200 in Bitcoins, features some traits that can render it more concerning than Linkup.

Cryptolocker works by encrypting the victim’s hard drive and then demanding money (normally 2 Bitcoins) to unlock it. Since the files really get encrypted, cleaning the machine and deleting the virus will not help in this case. The security experts point out that the most dangerous thing is that Cryptolocker (and all of its versions) doesn’t necessarily keep its promise and unlock the files after payment is received. While users, whose PCs are infected with Linkup, have a simple challenge, Cryptolocker victims have a much harder decision.