Webroot and cryptomining software

Hello @marcelospera 

Oh well and good to hear Webroot is doing it’s job: https://community.webroot.com/malware-manifesto-5/cryptominer-336566

https://community.webroot.com/tech-talk-7/the-rise-and-fall-of-cryptocurrency-mining-341321

https://community.webroot.com/tech-talk-7/the-rise-and-fall-of-cryptocurrency-2018-bitcoin-bear-market-341355

Hey @marcelospera ,

I run a couple different crypto wallet softwares on my personal computer with Webroot running. I also ran into the issue where Webroot would block certain processes. You’ll have to find out exactly which processes Webroot is blocking, as whitelisting the main .exe file will usually not be enough. For example, when I run my Monero wallet, Webroot kept blocking the “Daemon” process. Simply whitelisting “MoneroGUI.exe” was not enough - I had to find the Daemon app process and whitelist that.

Hope that helps,

Keenan

@TripleHelix ,

Just FYI, not all crypto mining software is malware. Running a bitcoin/Monero/Etc. miner on your computer is a standard process if you’re doing it knowingly. Antivirus softwares like webroot do tend to flag these as malware, however, even if they’re not. Whitelisting the GUI/Daemon.exe file is generally the workaround.

@khumphrey  But being on a Security software forum and the Greater Security Community it should not be encouraged and in most cases it is frowned upon and illegal. Crypto mining  is Crypto Mining however you put it.

https://www.gb-advisors.com/crypto-mining-illegal/

Is crypto mining illegal? However, illicit cryptocurrency mining is not a victimless crime. Indeed, it's possible for the attack to overwhelm a computer's processing power and shut down the system.Jun 25, 2019 https://www.investopedia.com/tech/illicit-cryptomining/

No, that is incorrect. Crypto mining is a broad term - If it’s being done silently on your computer via a browser page or malware without your knowing, that is illegal. If you are mining bitcoin or any other cryptocurrency on your computer on purpose, with your own computers’ resources, there is nothing illegal about that. That is essentially how a blockchain functions - through people mining the coins and running nodes on their computer. 

This user is specifically trying to run crypto mining software on their computer. They want to figure out how to whitelist the process. There is no malware involved in this process.

Via the link you included, please read:

“Crypto-mining is nothing more than the mining of crypto coins, but what is meant by this? In this context, mining is a perfectly legal operation that consists of validating a transaction, carried out; for example, in bitcoins, encrypting the data and registering it in the Blockchain. The operators, individuals or companies that carry out this process are called “miners”.”