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.
Related Stories
The news outlet Salon is allowing Adblock-using visitors to opt-in to using the JavaScript-based Coinhive tool to mine the cryptocurrency Monero:
Other sites have used cryptocurrency mining in lieu of (or in addition to) advertising. Sometimes, it's done surreptitiously without users' consent — The Pirate Bay admitted to secretly adding Coinhive integration last year, and hackers have planted mining malware on other sites. In this case, it's an opt-in program; a spokesperson tells FT that testing started on Monday.
Salon has an FAQ explaining this move.
Also at Ars Technica.
Related: Showtime Streaming Service Included JavaScript to Mine Cryptocurrency Using Web Browsers
PolitiFact Hacked to Mine Cryptocurrency Using Visitors' Web Browsers
Wi-Fi at Starbucks Buenos Aires Has Computers Mine Crypto-Currency
Bitcoin Hype Pushes Hackers to Lesser-Known Cryptocurrencies
Thousands of Websites Hijacked by Hidden Crypto-Mining Code After Popular Plugin Pwned
(Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Friday December 15 2017, @01:04AM (6 children)
Bitcoin Investment Trust is traded like a stock. And next year we'll have Bitcoin futures on NASDAQ. And maybe, probably, on other exchanges. But stocks are doing AMAZINGLY since I was elected. Dow record high yesterday, one of many! pic.twitter.com/jqKevWMofs [t.co]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 15 2017, @01:35AM (4 children)
God, you insipid loser.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 15 2017, @02:32AM (3 children)
And, you're a rock star, right? Oh, wait, NO ONE has ever heard of you!! What are you, exactly? A sipid loser? That would be like an imaginiative loser? An inspiring loser? Interesting loser?
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Friday December 15 2017, @05:28AM (1 child)
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Friday December 15 2017, @05:51AM
Interesting loser?
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 15 2017, @09:57AM
It's a *bit* easier to become famous if your parents leave you tens or hundreds of million of dollars, you know, to get you started.
(Score: 3, Touché) by FatPhil on Friday December 15 2017, @05:18AM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Friday December 15 2017, @01:15AM (2 children)
Looks like the software was handed out via the captive portal used to control internet access.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by RamiK on Friday December 15 2017, @02:25AM (1 child)
A smarter dev would have popped up a window disclosing "I'm mining bitcoin to pay for the wifi. Closing me will disable the wifi. Ask your waiter about an alternative hourly/daily billing plan." and made sure it worked as specified. I'd even leave a little a running "tab" estimating how much bitcoins are being generated per minute (well, percentage) and when the connection is closed/lost it would function like a receipt.
Evil Done Right™
compiling...
(Score: 2) by kazzie on Friday December 15 2017, @08:59AM
But the wi-fi is paid for by Starbucks (corporate), not the local management.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday December 15 2017, @01:35AM (1 child)
Forget DDoS, I'm building IOT botnets to mine coins. 100000 sucky processors do amount to a lot of cycles.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Friday December 15 2017, @05:56AM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 15 2017, @01:44AM (1 child)
rms was right again.
(Score: 2) by RamiK on Friday December 15 2017, @02:37AM
At this point I'm fully expecting the inevitable Harvard Gazette article "HMS study links oral consumption of Trichophyton and immunizations against oncovirus HPV, HHV-4, HHV-5 and HHV-8."
compiling...
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday December 15 2017, @02:11AM (4 children)
You actually pay for your WiFi with 10 seconds CPU time (and battery juice).
Other than not being advertised (thus it was a steal of from resources you own), do you see it as a problem?
On the same vein.
- Mmmmm... would you be willing to donate some CPU cycle to Wikipedia to mine some cryptocurrency (instead of being nagged for donations), as long as you are in control on the amount of resources you donate?
- What if the site asking you this is owned by Murdoch News?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(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!!!
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Friday December 15 2017, @05:27AM (1 child)
I live right in the goddamn centre of a tourist town, and if you walk down my street (between a very touristy street and another touristy street) you'll see the "FatPhil Guest" wifi available for use, no password. If someone desperately needing a drink were to ask for a glass of water, I'd give it to him, even though I pay per m3 of water. If someone desperately needed the internet, something I pay nothing extra per byte, of course I'd share. I've benefitted from the generosity of others historically, of course I'm happy to pass it on. Sorry for not being so goddamn (American and) selfish.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday December 15 2017, @06:34AM
I see you don't mean free like in the "free as Wikipedia that annoys me with donation requests even after I donated".
Of course it can't detect I donated, I'm not gonna let them put a tracker on me or create a user/passwd with them.
Yes, living in Europe affords one to not be selfish, I know that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by kazzie on Friday December 15 2017, @09:03AM
As I see it, the problem is that you're not paying Starbucks for the wi-fi, you're paying whoever fiddled with the login page.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Virindi on Friday December 15 2017, @02:33AM (4 children)
They aren't making money. People are going to plug their laptop in to charge, so Starbucks is paying for the electricity...to mine using an inefficient GPU miner.
The only way this makes sense is if an employee is using it as a way to hide stealing electricity from the store.
(Score: 2) by Virindi on Friday December 15 2017, @02:35AM
Ah, just noticed the part about it being Monero. Is that still worth mining without an ASIC?
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Friday December 15 2017, @05:51AM (1 child)
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 15 2017, @10:06AM
Not really. Increased CPU and/or GPU load from mining means increased electricity usage. "Charging only" is the baseline, sure, but mining will still increase it. Not to mention, increased battery drain could even make more people charge. If the coins mined are worth less then the increased electricity bill due to mining, and they're the ones paying for the electricity...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 15 2017, @07:09PM
How efficient is the JS mining code? I'm thinking it's not that efficient.
But if it's efficient enough and many people don't plug in then Starbucks could still make money since they're not paying for the mining hardware.
Otherwise it's probably someone else making money from Starbucks and their customers...
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Friday December 15 2017, @05:30AM (1 child)
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 3, Insightful) by MostCynical on Friday December 15 2017, @05:55AM
Because they've used their data for the month and have several youtube videos they haven't watched yet!
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex