UK’s Government Websites Infected by Cryptocurrency Mining Malware

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UK’s Government Websites Infected by Cryptocurrency Mining Malware

By CircleID Reporter
February 12, 2018, 8:57 pm PST Views: 19,197 Add Comment

Thousands of websites are reported to have been infected by malware over the weekend forcing visitors’ computers to mine cryptocurrency while using the sites. The affected websites include UK’s National Health Service (NHS), the Student Loans Company and several English councils. Patrick Greenfield reporting in the Guardian: “The cryptojacking script was inserted into website codes through BrowseAloud, a popular plugin that helps blind and partially-sighted people access the web. More than 5,000 websites have been flooded by the malware. Software known as Coinhive, which quietly uses the processing power of a user’s device to mine open source cryptocurrency Monero, appears to have been injected into the compromised BrowseAloud plugin.”

By CircleID Reporter

CircleID’s internal staff reporting on news tips and developing stories. Do you have information the professional Internet community should be aware of? Contact us.

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