Crypto miners get on wrong side of Russia’s law

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Some cryptocurrency miners have been resorting to ingenious ways to mine digital coins, a fact that Russia has discovered in recent days.

In the Russian county of Khabarovsk, officials reported that the government’s website was hacked in late May by an individual looking to hijack the computer power of the site’s visitors. According to local reports, the hackers managed to operate on the government website unnoticed for 10 days. The hack was noticed after users started complaining about the website. Authorities said they’ve successfully put an end to the illegal activity last week.

According to investigators, unsuspecting visitors of the government website were redirected to a malicious website that secretly launched a mining software on the user’s computer. Officials in Russia have already asked its citizens accessing any website or online platforms to exercise caution and install applications that block pop-up windows to avoid falling victims to such risks.

It is believed that about 600 people visit Khabarovsk government website per day. Authorities are still investigating the incident.

Authorities ban the import of crypto mining equipment

Meanwhile, a cryptocurrency miner in Tobolsk, Russia, got in trouble with the law after he tried to import mining equipment he purchased online for personal use.

The customs official confiscated the items when the miner refused to produce additional permits from Federal Security Service (FSB). This was in violation of a ruling passed by the Tobolsk city court that banned importation of cryptocurrency mining equipment. The miner, a resident of Tobolsk, had to comply with the new regulations.

The miner went to court to appeal the customs’ decision; however, the court ruled in favor of the customs office, stating that their actions were within the stipulated laws.  The miner, in his argument, had stated that the equipment is need in his scientific work, but the court found the exertion that “mining activities were a by-product of his scientific work”to be an exaggeration. The equipment are still in the custody of customs officials in Russia.