Don’t – This antivirus software installs the crypto-miner (and takes a cut)

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Cryptocurrencies have been around for a while and are very popular. But it does come with some risks, and it’s the most dangerous thing you can do if you’re new to crypto.

Digital currency is created through a process called crypto mining. Many people have gone to great lengths to develop elaborate crypto mining operations, spending thousands of dollars on high-end machines that run day and night. Others have adopted more underhanded methods of hopefully getting rich.

This is when cybercriminals use the power of someone else’s computer to get the job done. Now, a popular antivirus software company is openly adding crypto mining to its users’ devices and taking a share of the revenue. Read on to see what happens.

Here is the backstory

When installing antivirus software, you expect it to protect against security threats. The last thing you want to find in the program is a crypto miner.

Discovered by digital activist Cory Doctorow, it turns out that Norton’s antivirus software now comes with a crypto-miner. Although you will need to register for the miner to start working, this is of concern.

The miner kicks in when you are not using your device and sets up a secure wallet for you. As usual, free money does not exist. While serving as a facilitator for minors, Norton will get a 15% discount on top.

What can you do about it

As mentioned, you need to activate the miner before it starts using your computer. If you change your mind about the process, you can turn the feature off, but it won’t be easy. You can only disable mining but not completely remove the module. Norton also takes full control of the parameter thresholds.

The company explains at the bottom of a question-and-answer page that a 15% “coin mining fee” is charged. There are coin mining fees as well as transaction costs to transfer Ethereum. Transaction fees fluctuate due to cryptocurrency market conditions and other factors.

Users were understandably puzzled by Norton’s decision to include the miner. “Norton should DETECT and eliminate crypto-mining hijacking, not install theirs. And I was about to reinstall Norton 360 too, but that literally made me lose confidence in Norton and their management, ”one user wrote on the Norton community forum.

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