Bitcoin is the most famous cryptocurrency, and the oldest one. Previously, it could be mined using a home computer. It was even possible to use your laptop. Then the situation shifted to the use of GPUs as the complexity of cryptocurrency mining increased. At present, you need specialized intelligent equipment.
The best software for bitcoin development will depend on a lot of different things. Consider all you need to know about software that can be used for mining bitcoins.
The mining software is used by the computer to interact with intelligent equipment. Bitcoin mining today is exclusively performed by ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) devices. There are various ASICs that also have been developed for other algorithms. Before starting work, you need to make sure that the program used for mining will work well on your specific equipment and with the operating system you have chosen. Let us now describe the popular miners.
- CGMiner works with almost any platform. The program is designed for use with hardware-based systems but can use any graphics processors connected to your machine. It automatically determines which hardware it will have to work with and finds the ASIC devices itself. It works through a simple command-line interface and supports multiple pools and data mining devices. The disadvantage of the program is that the version for the Windows operating system is difficult to establish.
- Bitminter is one of the longest running and most reliable services. Bitminter has an extremely clear graphical interface and can work with graphics processors and external ASIC devices equally well. The software was designed to be used only with the Bitminter pool. This means that you need to create an account through the website. One useful feature is the profit reporting function, because this function will help you find out whether your extraction is profitable or not. The latest version of this software is Bitcoin Miner 1.27.0.
- BFGMiner was created on the basis of CGMiner but is adapted for mining using ASIC devices. The program is very compatible with FPGA devices, but it does not work well with video cards. The program monitors the temperature of most devices, and it can be connected to many mining pools simultaneously. Moreover, the application no longer connects to inaccessible pools, saving you precious system resources.
- MultiMiner is the best software for beginners. It is a graphical user interface (GUI) based on mining software developed as part of Windows 10 bitcoin mining software. MultiMiner is also able to simultaneously connect to multiple pools. It is even possible to automatically use the most profitable coin at any time or to orient to those that offer the lowest complexity.
- EasyMiner is a GUI-based software and acts as a convenient wrapper for CGMiner and BFGMiner software. This software supports the getwork mining protocol as well as the stratum mining protocol. It also can be used for both solo and pooled mining. Among its main features is that it configures your miner and provides performance graphs for easy visualization of your mining activity.
However, now that mining cryptocurrency has become so popular hackers have begun using compromised computers for cryptocurrency mining.
There are two main ways to deliver illegal mining software to computer users.
1: Many services offer website owners the ability to convert the power of computer visitors’ CPUs into miners of various cryptocurrencies. This approach is offered as an alternative to advertising content on websites. After the appearance of the first such services, these methods were used by groups of hackers. For example, a malicious code is built into browser plug-ins (Chrome Safe Browse). In the code, malicious JavaScript forced browser users’ CPUs to mine cryptocurrencies. Often hackers implement malicious JavaScript for development on compromised sites. In this case, when JavaScript is activated in the user’s browser, and this is the default state of the browser, the production process proceeds during a simple visit to an affected website.
2: Hackers use the vulnerabilities in WannaCry and NonPetya to massively infect computers. Then, compromised computers are loaded with illegal mining software. After that, these compromised computers are used by hackers for illegal cryptocurrency mining.
Symptoms of possible computer infection with illegal cryptocurrency mining software:
- Computer runs at slower speed.
- Increased computer temperature and overheating of computer parts.
- An increase in the load on the CPU, possibly even total inoperability of the compromised computer.
- Increased power consumption.
- Existence of outgoing network traffic, specific for computer-based mining software.
