According to a experts at internet security firm ESET, alarm bells should ring if you notice your phone overheating, running slowly or the battery running out inexplicably quickly.

All of these symptoms could be a sign that your phone has been hacked by a cryptojacker.

The battery malfunctions and overheating caused by mining can damage your devices — and the damage can sometimes be permanent.



If your mobile phone (especially if it's an Android) has started to run slowly, is overheating, or its battery is depleting rapidly for no apparent reason, you should be worried.

Why? According to a report from AFP, these symptoms may mean you've been the unfortunate victim of a cryptojacker.

Mining cryptocurrencies is essentially just carrying out digital transactions — the difference between cryptocurrency transactions and other digital transactions is that it typically involves solving problems using hardware (in return for which you get paid in a given cryptocurrency).

Typically, the mathematical problems that need solving in order to carry out crypto transactions are highly complex and, therefore, demand a significant amount of computing power. This naturally entails spending a lot on hardware and incurs hefty energy bills — but it would seem cybercriminals have found a more cost-efficient shortcut.

One of the things you can do to prevent your phone being manipulated for crypto-mining is to ensure your operating system and apps are updated to the latest version. 1Day Review/Flickr/CC BY 2.0

One smartphone alone doesn't have the required processing power to mine cryptocurrencies — but when many are used together, cybercriminals can easily take advantage of their collective processing power. And, without users' knowledge, an increasing number of cryptojackers are doing just that.

In order for cryptojackers to mine, users download seemingly harmless apps that, in turn, introduce mining malware to the device.

Worryingly, ESET experts quoted in AFP's report suggest that the list of apps hiding programs for mining cryptocurrencies is growing.

According to We Live Security, the Bug Smasher gaming app was just one of many that turned out to have hidden mining functionality — it was removed in January 2018 when ESET researchers discovered what was going on.

Google is more exposed than Apple but it's cracking down

The best-case scenario if you do get hacked is that your phone will slow down and overheat a lot. But worse things can happen - phones could end up permanently damaged due to battery malfunctions, with those that run on Android being particularly susceptible.

The reason devices using Google's operating system are more vulnerable is simple because Apple's iOS exercises more rigorous control over the applications it allows in the App Store. For example in June Apple made a point of adding to its guidelines that the use of cryptocurrency mining programs on its devices was expressly prohibited.

However, according to the AFP, Google is now following the same steps as Apple with Google Play and recently informed developers that it will no longer allow the mining of cryptocurrencies on their devices.

ESET experts have indicated that the list of apps hiding programs cryptocurrency-mining programs is growing. Getty

How you can protect your phone

The experts admit it's somewhat difficult to tell which apps are hiding malware but that, as a user, there are measures that can be taken to make yourself less vulnerable :

Ensure your operating system and apps are updated to the latest version to ensure they remain secure.

Only install apps from official platforms (Google Play Store and Apple's App Store).

Avoid installing applications from unknown sources.

Use the number of app downloads and user reviews to ensure any apps you download are the legitimate versions.

Don't grant your apps unnecessary permissions.

You can also use antivirus software suitable for your operating system for extra protection.