American TV
network Showtime has been forced to remove code from two of its websites that
secretly mined the privacy oriented cryptocurrency monero on visitors'
computers, according to reports.
Gizmodo and
The Register both indicate that two websites run by Showtime – the eponymous
Showtime.com, as well as ShowtimeAnytime.com – had concealed code for CoinHive,
a JavaScript-based monero miner. Originally intended as a way for websites to
generate income without having to utilize ads, in this case the software
appears to have been used to covertly draw upon the computing power of
unsuspecting site visitors.
BleepingComputer,
which covers cybersecurity topics, has detailed the inner workings of the
situation. As the site highlights, it's not clear at this time who, exactly,
inserted the code onto the Showtime websites. Neither is it certain how long
the code was live on the Showtime sites. The code was spotted over the weekend
and was removed by the firm Monday.
Thus far,
Showtime hasn't commented publicly on the news, and a representative for the
network declined to comment when contacted by many professional website.
The
developments are notable given the public profile of Showtime, which is owned
by U.S. media giant CBS Corporation. It also comes days after torrent website
The Pirate Bay sparked criticism for (in this case, voluntarily) live-testing a
JavaScript-based monero miner.
Source : CoinDesk
Source : CoinDesk
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