Ryan Montgomery, an ethical hacker and a former United States Navy Seal and CIA contractor, admitted in a podcast episode hosted by Shawn Ryan on May 8, that he had infected "tens of thousands" of laptops to mine cryptocurrency. Montgomery had hacked websites hosting child exploitation and leveraged his skills to mine cryptocurrency as well. He mentioned that he was mining Bitcoin (BTC) and Litecoin (LTC) at the same time and mining process usually used 100% of computers' processor and graphics cards when the device was in an idle state. When the computer was in use, the malware utilized only 20% of the resources. Montgomery had taken this action so the users of these devices wouldn't experience a poor performance in their devices. Moreover, he claimed that he had morally stopped hacking and mining as he had discovered other business opportunities.

Cryptocurrency has become a popular topic for hackers as there is a potential for amazing returns on investments. It is important to be aware of the security threats that revolve around this market, as well as other digital assets, as it could lead to a vast number of computers to be compromised in one go and to the theft of the individuals' money. To prevent such activity in the future, it is essential to keep the security of one's device up-to-date. Moreover, it is good practice to back up any wallet or exchange accounts to prevent data leakage and potential losses.

The story of Montgomery should serve as a valuable reminder that it is wise to stay safe online and protect one's assets accordingly. Everybody should be alert to security issues in the cryptocurrency space as hacking is becoming increasingly common, and always implement the necessary safety measures such as two-factor identification and secure passwords.



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