CBS's Showtime caught mining crypto-coins in viewers' web browsers - GoFuckYourself.com

wehateporn · 09-26-2017, 02:41 AM

Who placed the JavaScript code on two primetime dot-coms? So far, it's a mystery

The websites of US telly giant CBS's Showtime contained JavaScript that secretly commandeered viewers' web browsers over the weekend to mine cryptocurrency.

The flagship Showtime.com and its instant-access ShowtimeAnytime.com sibling silently pulled in code that caused browsers to blow spare processor time calculating new Monero coins ? a privacy-focused alternative to the ever-popular Bitcoin. The hidden software typically consumed as much as 60 per cent of CPU capacity on computers visiting the sites.

The scripts were written by Code Hive, a legit outfit that provides JavaScript to website owners: webmasters add the code to their pages so that they can earn slivers of cash from each visitor as an alternative to serving adverts to generate revenue. Over time, money mined by the Code-Hive-hosted scripts adds up and is transferred from Coin Hive to the site's administrators. One Monero coin, 1 XMR, is worth about $92 right now.

However, it's extremely unlikely that a large corporation like CBS would smuggle such a piece of mining code onto its dot-coms ? especially since it charges subscribers to watch the hit TV shows online ? suggesting someone hacked the websites' source code to insert the mining JavaScript and make a quick buck.

The JavaScript, which appeared on the sites at the start of the weekend and vanished by Monday, sits between HTML comment tags that appear to be an insert from web analytics biz New Relic. Again, it is unlikely that an analytics company would deliberately stash coin-mining scripts onto its customers' pages, so the code must have come from another source ? or was injected by miscreants who had compromised Showtime's systems.

Here's a screenshot of the code on showtime.com, seen by El Reg before it was removed. The mining script was loaded early on the page, we note.

Continued https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/0...mining_script/

CaptainHowdy · 09-26-2017, 06:40 AM

Links pulled ...

Smack dat · 09-26-2017, 06:44 AM

The Pirate Bay are doing this. They say it's either this or Ads. Most people seem to prefer to have their CPU mined.
Personally I blame Relic.

TheDynasty · 09-26-2017, 10:25 AM

crazy but not unreasonable

Tube Ace · 09-26-2017, 02:25 PM

If only there were a way to make a website with maybe WordPress and a monero user mining plugin and import millions of videos from maybe porn sites.. hmmmmm

Smack dat · 09-26-2017, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tube Ace

If only there were a way to make a website with maybe WordPress and a monero user mining plugin and import millions of videos from maybe porn sites.. hmmmmm

Just because your site has millions of videos, imported or not doesn't mean you get any real visitors.

Tube Ace · 09-26-2017, 05:23 PM

Getting a few thousand visitors daily just from organic SE traffic is easy.

Tube Ace · 09-26-2017, 06:29 PM

Here is a screenshot of the post view count of a site https://yomilfs.com I just created and have imported only 42,000 videos so far.

All the traffic is 100% from search engines. I have done zero marketing for this site. It's not even a month old.

This isn't even a special case. A year ago, I had a new site (a few weeks old) get about 10k traffic daily with about 50k videos imported from Tube Ace with no marketing efforts.

Goethe · 09-26-2017, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tube Ace

If only there were a way to make a website with maybe WordPress and a monero user mining plugin and import millions of videos from maybe porn sites.. hmmmmm

Looks interesting. Have you tried the Montero plugin?

Tube Ace · 09-26-2017, 06:47 PM

I am testing now

blackmonsters · 09-26-2017, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tube Ace

If only there were a way to make a website with maybe WordPress and a monero user mining plugin and import millions of videos from maybe porn sites.. hmmmmm

When I look at the idea I think about the following scenario :

Quote:

I go to the mechanic to get a engine tune up.
He tunes the engine up good and puts a device on the engine that allows him to make money based on how much I drive.
The device causes me to use a little more gas than normal and I never agreed to have the device.

I think the above scenario would result in criminal charges of fraud, theft and conspiracy of
all parties associated with the device.

For that reason, I think putting code in a browser that uses an excess of a surfer's cpu resources for my own personal gain with no benefit to the surfer is probably the dumbest business plan ever.

But hey, that's just my opinion.

Tube Ace · 09-26-2017, 07:09 PM

If you state in the Terms of Service, why not?

Paul Markham · 09-27-2017, 09:15 AM

https://www.google.de/search?dcr=0&b...r+pr otection

And https://www.ophtek.com/detect-bitcoi...re-on-your-pc/

ANAL PASTE · 09-27-2017, 11:55 PM

Interesting concept

09-26-2017, 02:41 AM	#1
wehateporn Promoting Debate on GFY Industry Role: Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 27,173	CBS's Showtime caught mining crypto-coins in viewers' web browsers Who placed the JavaScript code on two primetime dot-coms? So far, it's a mystery The websites of US telly giant CBS's Showtime contained JavaScript that secretly commandeered viewers' web browsers over the weekend to mine cryptocurrency. The flagship Showtime.com and its instant-access ShowtimeAnytime.com sibling silently pulled in code that caused browsers to blow spare processor time calculating new Monero coins ? a privacy-focused alternative to the ever-popular Bitcoin. The hidden software typically consumed as much as 60 per cent of CPU capacity on computers visiting the sites. The scripts were written by Code Hive, a legit outfit that provides JavaScript to website owners: webmasters add the code to their pages so that they can earn slivers of cash from each visitor as an alternative to serving adverts to generate revenue. Over time, money mined by the Code-Hive-hosted scripts adds up and is transferred from Coin Hive to the site's administrators. One Monero coin, 1 XMR, is worth about $92 right now. However, it's extremely unlikely that a large corporation like CBS would smuggle such a piece of mining code onto its dot-coms ? especially since it charges subscribers to watch the hit TV shows online ? suggesting someone hacked the websites' source code to insert the mining JavaScript and make a quick buck. The JavaScript, which appeared on the sites at the start of the weekend and vanished by Monday, sits between HTML comment tags that appear to be an insert from web analytics biz New Relic. Again, it is unlikely that an analytics company would deliberately stash coin-mining scripts onto its customers' pages, so the code must have come from another source ? or was injected by miscreants who had compromised Showtime's systems. Here's a screenshot of the code on showtime.com, seen by El Reg before it was removed. The mining script was loaded early on the page, we note. Continued https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/0...mining_script/ __________________ Sexy Girls Teasing

09-26-2017, 06:40 AM	#2
CaptainHowdy Too lazy to set a custom title Industry Role: Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Happy in the dark. Posts: 92,995	Links pulled ... __________________ FLASH SALE INSANITY! deal with a 100% Trusted Seller Buy Traffic Spots on a High-Quality Network 1 Year or Lifetime — That’s Right, Until the Internet Explodes!

09-26-2017, 10:25 AM	#4
TheDynasty See Signature Industry Role: Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: noneya Posts: 5,882	crazy but not unreasonable __________________ Try out WP-SCRIPT The Best Tube Script

09-27-2017, 09:15 AM	#13
Paul Markham Too old to care Industry Role: Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: On the sofa, watching TV or doing my jigsaws. Posts: 52,943	https://www.google.de/search?dcr=0&b...r+pr otection And https://www.ophtek.com/detect-bitcoi...re-on-your-pc/ __________________ Blowout deal. 880 videos, 2,400 image sets, plus many RAW videos. $500. PM me for a deal. Skype Paulmarkham70

09-27-2017, 11:55 PM	#14
ANAL PASTE Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Puget Sound, WA Posts: 7,641	Interesting concept __________________ Mr Pheer - " Elon's platform, Elon's rules. Dookie: A jury disagrees with you

09-26-2017, 06:44 AM	#3
Smack dat So Fucking Banned Industry Role: Join Date: Jul 2016 Posts: 4,613	The Pirate Bay are doing this. They say it's either this or Ads. Most people seem to prefer to have their CPU mined. Personally I blame Relic.

09-26-2017, 02:25 PM	#5
Tube Ace So Fucking Banned Industry Role: Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: with your dream girl Posts: 4,941	If only there were a way to make a website with maybe WordPress and a monero user mining plugin and import millions of videos from maybe porn sites.. hmmmmm

09-26-2017, 05:23 PM	#7
Tube Ace So Fucking Banned Industry Role: Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: with your dream girl Posts: 4,941	Getting a few thousand visitors daily just from organic SE traffic is easy.

09-26-2017, 06:29 PM	#8
Tube Ace So Fucking Banned Industry Role: Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: with your dream girl Posts: 4,941	Here is a screenshot of the post view count of a site https://yomilfs.com I just created and have imported only 42,000 videos so far. All the traffic is 100% from search engines. I have done zero marketing for this site. It's not even a month old. This isn't even a special case. A year ago, I had a new site (a few weeks old) get about 10k traffic daily with about 50k videos imported from Tube Ace with no marketing efforts.

09-26-2017, 06:47 PM	#10
Tube Ace So Fucking Banned Industry Role: Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: with your dream girl Posts: 4,941	I am testing now

09-26-2017, 07:09 PM	#12
Tube Ace So Fucking Banned Industry Role: Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: with your dream girl Posts: 4,941	If you state in the Terms of Service, why not?