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Avast AV reclassifies cryptominers | Avast

Cryptomining has grown so rampant that we’ve revised the guidelines for how our software identifies and classifies mining programs. Depending on the miner’s behavior, our software will label it as a Tool or as malware.

Note that moving forward, Avast software will not label ANY cryptomining programs as clean.

At best, cryptomining is a nuisance, drawing on your CPU power and raising your electricity bills. At worst, it can overheat your system, causing irreparable damage. We want to be sure that if cryptomining is at work in your system, it’s because you are wanting and allowing it.

To that end, our new guidelines basically measure how forthcoming and transparent the miner is. Among other signs of legitimacy, we are looking for:

  • Clear sensible text boxes providing all relevant information about the program or site, with ACCEPT and DECLINE buttons
  • After installation, no mining can begin until the user grants rights to do so; after the user grants the rights the first time, the program only needs to show a visible indicator of active mining
  • A new text box and explanation if and when mining terms change, with a new ACCEPT/DECLINE choice

See the full set of guidelines on our tech support page, and make sure that the mining you mine…is yours.

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from Blog | Avast EN authored by Avast Blog. Read the original post at: https://blog.avast.com/reclassify-cryptominers-as-tool-or-malware