Attackers got into my server, installed mining software and pushed the processor to 100 percent, so the site timed out. I cleaned it, then rebuilt the server and locked it down.
A crypto miner is software that uses your server’s processor to earn digital currency for someone else. Attacker groups install it on any server they can get into.
Why it matters
A server running a miner is too busy to answer visitors, so pages time out. If that happens while Google is crawling, it sees errors instead of pages. These groups break in mainly by trying common passwords on servers again and again, which is why password login should be switched off.
How to check your own site
- Look at processor use when the site is quiet. A server that is always near 100 percent needs checking.
- Read the server’s scheduled tasks and login keys for anything you did not add.
At a glance
| Status | Done |
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I lost time chasing my own code first. Now, when a server is slow for no clear reason, I check for strangers before I check my code.
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