Slashdot Mirror


GPGPU Bitcoin Mining Trojan

An anonymous reader writes "Security researchers have unearthed a piece of malware that mints a digital currency known as Bitcoins by harnessing the immense power of an infected machine's graphical processing units. According to new research from antivirus provider Symantec, Trojan.Badminer uses GPUs to generate virtual coins through a practice known as minting. That's the term for solving difficult cryptographic proof-of-work problems and being rewarded with 50 Bitcoins for each per correct block."

2 of 258 comments (clear)

  1. How often do we have to say this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    We Don't Care About Bitcoin.

  2. Re:Why? Bitcoin and Slashdot? by drinkypoo · · Score: 1, Troll

    Modern currencies typically aren't backed by anything. They only have value because people trust they have value.

    They're backed by the resources, goods, and services of the issuing nation. Bitcoins don't even have that going for them.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"