More than a security breach, the Pirate Bay has made the virtual currency mining a source for advertising.
The Pirate Bay has begun to notify its users that by entering the website they will be granting permission for their CPU to be used to mine virtual assets, all this after the page was again caught using its customers to extract Monero without users’ knowledge or consent.
Pentest researchers mention that last June a user published that he had discovered the download website was using a recently developed online cryptocurrency miner named Crypto-Loot. In September 2017, The Pirate Bay managers were caught using Coinhive.
Specialists in pentest suggest that The Pirate Bay changed their miner because of the lower commission for Crypto-Loot rated 12%, unlike the 30% they had to keep for Coinhive.
After this was revealed, no active miner could be longer found in The Pirate Bay platform, but on July 5 the company issued this notice of responsibility on its site:
By entering the Pirate Bay, you agree XMR to be mined using your CPU. If you disagree, exit now or install an add-block
According to pentest experts from the International Institute of Cyber Security, websites such like The Pirate Bay need revenue to keep operations up, and traditional forms of online advertising may not be enough. In addition, the only ethical way to mine cryptocurrency on their site without dealing against information security is to inform visitors in advance and offer them the option to stay or sign out the site.
Working as a cyber security solutions architect, Alisa focuses on application and network security. Before joining us she held a cyber security researcher positions within a variety of cyber security start-ups. She also experience in different industry domains like finance, healthcare and consumer products.
