US and UK Government Websites Infected with Crypto-mining Malware

[R0H1T]

imagine there was crypto that gives you value for 1 minute you do tire spin burnouts on street... if enough people were doing it and trading that crypto and that crypto value would rise... would that situation still be: "how is that bad?", "that is new technologie", "if dont like it - dont do it"

Now imagine if someone would pay you (ala BTC) for pouring gasoline on the street & lighting it up, instead of ~ let's say using it to transport goods?

 

[R-T-B]

Now imagine if someone would pay you (ala BTC) for pouring gasoline on the street & lighting it up, instead of ~ let's say using it to transport goods?

imagine there was crypto that gives you value for 1 minute you do tire spin burnouts on street... if enough people were doing it and trading that crypto and that crypto value would rise... would that situation still be: "how is that bad?", "that is new technologie", "if dont like it - dont do it"

No.

Frankly hyperbole like this makes you sound more ridiculous than the most seasons crypto-anarchist.

Drawing on the power grid to run a payment network is not the same as doing an actual directly harmful activity to society to run a payment network. Primary difference being: the power company can take the load without immediate consequences.

And please don't give me that "BUT CO2 EMISSIONS!" stuff. It drives me up the wall when I think about how ironic it is when we evaluate how much CO2 gaming has probably produced over the years.

They took your video cards, and you're mad. There's nothing wrong with that, but just admit it and don't hide behind environmental concerns.

 

[rtwjunkie]

How that island uk can be so rich the government probably do some illegal stuff.

And this, which certainly qualifies as inciteful and spiteful FUD has a point even remotely relevant to the article?

 

[Chaitanya]

How that island uk can be so rich the government probably do some illegal stuff.

UK(many European countries fall into this category) got rich off colonialism, commiting ethnic cleansing, genocides and other human rights attrocities across globe to strip reosurces from those countries.

Sorry for going off the topic.

With regards to Government websites being targetted by miners, arent private contracters responsible for maintaining infrastructures? so would it be possible its an inside job of some overenthusiastic employee getting too greedy.

 

[Vya Domus]

With regards to Government websites being targetted by miners, arent private contracters responsible for maintaining infrastructures? so would it be possible its an inside job of some overenthusiastic employee getting too greedy.

It wouldn't even matter , most government institutes around the world have terrible security and this was proven many times over. So I don't think you really need an inside job to pull this off.

 

[Parn]

I don't deny the fact that Blockchain technology could be useful in some areas, for example the distributed platforms that have been mentioned earlier. What I don't like is the amount of resource wasted and the fact this mining crazy has incited some of the worst parts of human nature, greed and dishonest.

If a distributed platform needed help with Blockchain, why couldn't they copy Folding@Home and ask for voluntary help from people with spare compute power? I'm pretty certain they would still get a lot of compute power just like Folding@Home or SETI without causing any of the mining related issues we've seen so far.

 

[RejZoR]

I much rather run Rosetta@home for free than cryptomining with expectations of profit...

 

[trog100]

i recon anyone that cant instantly spot the relevance of the bright eyed fox and the sloth pic should instantly bow out of this thread as being too dumb to take part..

trog

 

[techy1]

And please don't give me that "BUT CO2 EMISSIONS!" stuff. It drives me up the wall when I think about how ironic it is when we evaluate how much CO2 gaming has probably produced over the years.

They took your video cards, and your mad. There's nothing wrong with that, but just admit it and don't hide behind environmental concerns.

well you are just pure wrong here... there is thousands of 8x GPU's rigs running 24/7 (and clocked) with 2 PSU's each (because 1 1200+W PSU running 100% is not enough anymore) - how can you compare it to gaming, that for hardocre gamer would be 6 hours a day on 1 gpu (max 2) ?

 

[cdawall]

well you are just pure wrong here... there is thousands of 8x GPU's rigs running 24/7 (and clocked) with 2 PSU's each (because 1 1200+W PSU running 100% is not enough anymore) - how can you compare it to gaming, that for hardocre gamer would be 6 hours a day on 1 gpu (max 2) ?

I have 8 gpu rigs running on single 1200w units. It all depends what you are doing. Power consumption is going to be different from a gaming rig yes, but to say blockchain is useless is just ignorant. There is usefulness behind all this stuff and if I can make money in the middle I'm happy.

 

[ironcerealbox]

As another member has pointed out: yes, it's a problem. People want to make money even at the expense of their environment and others. I do not find it surprising that students use school resources (computers in this case) to run script for mining. Hell, I've seen students make irrational decisions with school resources so many times that I could write a book (browsing porn in a computer lab, watching movies illegally on those sites, bypassing security and downloading things they shouldn't, etc.). I can see colleges and universities, government sectors, and other public sectors constantly fighting this from here-on-out. Let's face it, how many of us work in an environment where the people who know more about security (cyber, network, and local accounts security) are NOT the ones working in the IT department?

 

[lexluthermiester]

i recon anyone that cant instantly spot the relevance of the bright eyed fox and the sloth pic should instantly bow out of this thread as being too dumb to take part..

Or perhaps some of us have not seen the movie the picture references, thus not getting the reference or how it applies to the article.. Just saying..

 

[rtwjunkie]

Or perhaps some of us have not seen the movie the picture references, thus not getting the reference or how it applies to the article.. Just saying..

Never saw the movie, but the sloth poking away at the computer linked perfectly to the article, for me at least.

 

[lexluthermiester]

well you are just pure wrong here... there is thousands of 8x GPU's rigs running 24/7 (and clocked) with 2 PSU's each (because 1 1200+W PSU running 100% is not enough anymore) - how can you compare it to gaming, that for hardcore gamer would be 6 hours a day on 1 gpu (max 2) ?

(R-T-B, don't feel picked on.) This is a good point though. I only know one person who ever did the quad SLI thing and he never gamed for more than 4 hours at a time once or twice a week.

 

[trog100]

Never saw the movie, but the sloth poking away at the computer linked perfectly to the article, for me at least.

i havnt seen the movie ether.. and my comment was light hearted.. but.. he he..

trog

 

[lexluthermiester]

i havnt seen the movie ether.. and my comment was light hearted.. but.. he he..

trog

So was mine, no worries.

On a weird note, the US government is rumored to be actually moving quickly to enact and enforce restrictions on the use of cryptocurrencies and taxation of what will be allowed. There's been no conformation of such, but it seems likely. That's gonna torque a few folks..

 

[Eric3988]

No.

Frankly hyperbole like this makes you sound more ridiculous than the most seasons crypto-anarchist.

Drawing on the power grid to run a payment network is not the same as doing an actual directly harmful activity to society to run a payment network. Primary difference being: the power company can take the load without immediate consequences.

And please don't give me that "BUT CO2 EMISSIONS!" stuff. It drives me up the wall when I think about how ironic it is when we evaluate how much CO2 gaming has probably produced over the years.

They took your video cards, and your mad. There's nothing wrong with that, but just admit it and don't hide behind environmental concerns.

Froggy, there are more pros and cons to crypto-currency than, "they took ur cards, u mad bro?" People are correct in pointing out the environmental impact, it's simply a deflection when you compare that with gaming. You're biased as a miner and that's fine, but you seem to take it personally when people attack your hobby. Just let it go, you'll be fine if us unsophisticated rubes dislike or even hate crypto.

 

[windwhirl]

So was mine, no worries.

On a weird note, the US government is rumored to be actually moving quickly to enact and enforce restrictions on the use of cryptocurrencies and taxation of what will be allowed. There's been no conformation of such, but it seems likely. That's gonna torque a few folks..

I don't find it strange that the US govt is preparing to enforce taxation on cryptocurrency. Here in Argentina they're already trying to do the same, but there are conflicts regarding how to treat it. They're still deciding if it is considered actual money (there is a wealth tax, so you have to pay for any money not in a savings account), or if they are just gonna tax it when you exchange it for hard currency (some lawmakers want to tax it as capital gain). Of course, the local revenue service has already decided that the moment they can get the info they need (if they haven't already) and the laws are changed to take crypto into account, they are gonna come down really hard on anyone who has any kind of cryptocurrency and doesn't pay their taxes for that.

 

[Prince Valiant]

No.

Frankly hyperbole like this makes you sound more ridiculous than the most seasons crypto-anarchist.

Drawing on the power grid to run a payment network is not the same as doing an actual directly harmful activity to society to run a payment network. Primary difference being: the power company can take the load without immediate consequences.

And please don't give me that "BUT CO2 EMISSIONS!" stuff. It drives me up the wall when I think about how ironic it is when we evaluate how much CO2 gaming has probably produced over the years.

They took your video cards, and your mad. There's nothing wrong with that, but just admit it and don't hide behind environmental concerns.

Go dig up some figures if you want to prove people wrong? Comparing the all time figures of gaming to mining is an unfair comparison though.

 

[Vya Domus]

And please don't give me that "BUT CO2 EMISSIONS!" stuff. It drives me up the wall when I think about how ironic it is when we evaluate how much CO2 gaming has probably produced over the years.

Since the conception of computer games ? Of course it produced more CO2 emissions but considering the regime in which mining takes place it wouldn't surprise me to see it catch up and overtake it in the following years if this keeps going. I am sure you are smart enough to figure out which one is a bigger concern from this point of view , people gaming 2-3 hours a day on a single PC or mining farms the size of warehouses operating 24/7.

 

[R-T-B]

well you are just pure wrong here... there is thousands of 8x GPU's rigs running 24/7 (and clocked) with 2 PSU's each (because 1 1200+W PSU running 100% is not enough anymore) - how can you compare it to gaming, that for hardocre gamer would be 6 hours a day on 1 gpu (max 2) ?

I'm comparing it with miners like me, and pointing out that that modern mining rigs are underclocked, not overclocked.

I'm also free to point out gamers are a larger audience by far, and have historically done the same thing even if on a lesser scale, making those cries highly ironic.

Since the conception of computer games ? Of course it produced more CO2 emissions but considering the regime in which mining takes place it wouldn't surprise me to see it catch up and overtake it in the following years if this keeps going. I am sure you are smart enough to figure out which one is a bigger concern from this point of view , people gaming 2-3 hours a day on a single PC or mining farms the size of warehouses operating 24/7.

I don't care which one is bigger. My point is you lose your right to criticize when you are both part of the same problem. Scale is irrelevant.

Go dig up some figures if you want to prove people wrong? Comparing the all time figures of gaming to mining is an unfair comparison though.

I don't need figures for this point.

it's simply a deflection when you compare that with gaming.

No, it's a deflection when a gamer says "but I only use x watts for meaninglessness"

It's the same problem. The environmental impact is real but we lose our right to criticize when we all contribute to the same problem.

Also, do not mistake my replies for personal offense. I rather enjoy debating, is all.

 

[Vya Domus]

Scale is irrelevant.

I couldn't disagree more, scale is everything , this is why for example people are annoyed by mining. It's not the act itself that bothers people , it's the scale at which it happens.

My point is you lose your right to criticize when you are both part of the same problem.

That sort of mentality inevitably sparks disaster. You can't go on forever ignoring everything and claiming that no one has the right to complain. I find it ridiculous to compare myself to the aforementioned warehouses of cards running 24/7 , I feel like I have all the right to criticize that.

I know you are a firm believer in mining/crypto and will defend it under any circumstance but the point that you are trying to get across here makes no sense.

 

[R-T-B]

You can't go on forever ignoring everything and claiming that no one has the right to complain.

It's not that no one has the right to complain, it's actually a highly legitimate problem. I just see it as highly ironic coming from gamers.

We may have to agree to disagree at this point. I am not exactly pro mining by the way. I am doing this latest project to learn and not because I love or endorse it.

Call me "anti-hypocritical"

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Why do most people game? Entertainment, stress-relief, socialize, spend time with friends/family.

Why do most people mine? For profit.

Why do people quit gaming? Life. Addiction. Disability. No longer entertained. Can't afford it.

Why do people quit mining? No longer profitable. Too much stress dealing with volatile market. No longer entertained.


I am about as heavy of a gamer as they get. I use one card at most 16 hours per day and it is very rare for it to hit and maintain 100% load because vsync is enabled. You're a casual miner using two cards that are collectively worth about four times the value of my one card and you're running them 100% 24/7. In terms of economic resources, I consume substantially less yet arguably get much more value. You're making what, $3/day now? Yeah, I definitely get more than that in terms of stress relief.

 

[R-T-B]

Why do most people game? Entertainment, stress-relief, socialize, spend time with friends/family.

Why do most people mine? For profit.

Why do people quit gaming? Life. Addiction. Disability. No longer entertained. Can't afford it.

Why do people quit mining? No longer profitable. Too much stress dealing with volatile market. No longer entertained.


I am about as heavy of a gamer as they get. I use one card at most 16 hours per day and it is very rare for it to hit and maintain 100% load because vsync is enabled. You're a casual miner using two cards that are collectively worth about four times the value of my one card and you're running them 100% 24/7. In terms of economic resources, I consume substantially less yet arguably get much more value. You're making what, $3/day now? Yeah, I definitely get more than that in terms of stress relief.

I combined my system into my server to replace an aging core 2 quad fileserver that drew nearly as much wattage. Were it not for mining, that core 2 quad would still be running. You'll be hard pressed to make me feel guilty.

The fact that we're debating the value of stress relief is so hopelessly silly to me as to pretty much support my point. I do not view one activity as more legitimate than the other. If anything, I view both very slightly negatively, but still enjoy them enough to outweigh it.

And I make roughly $10.00 per day if I average against my investment policies, $6.00 if not.