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from the would-you-like-javascript-with-your-coffee dept.
We've discussed the potential for stealing CPU cycles from javascript-enabled browsers many a time. It seems one coffee shop in Buenos Aires has put it into practice:
A customer of Starbucks Buenos Aires accused the popular café company of illegally mining Bitcoin using his personal laptop. Noah Dinkin, the man who discovered that his laptop was being used to mine cryptocurrency via Starbucks' free WiFi, tweeted a screenshot to prove it. [It] shows that the WiFi provider in Starbucks Buenos Aires forces a 10 second delay when you first connect to the WiFi so it can mine crypto using the customer's laptop.
Starbucks responded to Dinkin on Twitter to clear up the accusation 10 days later.
Other twitterers pointed out that the crypto-currency in question was in fact Monero, not Bitcoin.
Also covered by The Register and the BBC among others.
(Score: 2) by looorg on Friday December 15 2017, @03:24AM
This was my thinking to, "... mine cryptocurrency via Starbucks' free WiFi". There is no such thing as that free cup of coffee/lunch or you know WiFi. It's getting paid for somehow. When overcharging for coffee isn't enough if you are going to sit there at Starbucks all day with the other hipsters (or whatever) trying to work on your screenplay or to steal "free wifi" so you can "work on your life projects" I guess they want you to buy more then that one cup of endless coffee. They might as well get some of your spare CPU cycles, it's not like most of their customers are using them for anything good anyway.
Murdoch News (aka FOX) nah he doesn't deserve my cryptocycles ... Murloc News Network on the other hand ... that could be interesting ... BBBRRRMMMGGGGRRRGRGRGLLL!!!