Mining Farm's Security

Cryptocurrencies are rapidly gaining acceptance as a mainstream investment and payment mechanism. The words "cryptography" and "currency" are combined to make "cryptocurrency," which is electronic money based on complicated mathematical encryption principles. They are digital currencies that only exist online and have no physical counterparts. They were created as an alternative to traditional money and gained popularity for their forward-looking design, potential growth. Bitcoin, one of the earliest and most successful types of cryptocurrencies, debuted in 2009 and quickly acquired public acceptance in the years that followed. Cryptocurrencies are now used by people all around the world to purchase, sell, and invest in goods and services.

Mining cryptocurrency is the process of using computer resources to solve complex mathematical problems in order to prove work to other cryptocurrency users and verify transactions on the blockchain. The hardware utilized to mine cryptocurrencies varies a lot based on the algorithms that are used to mine each currency.

When setting up a GPU rig or ASIC, Miners are primarily concerned with how to maximize worker efficiency by optimizing overclocks, energy consumption, and selecting the right coins and pools to mine profitably. However, securing and maintaining the safety of their equipment is a critical - and sometimes forgotten - aspect.

However, there are a lot of security risks associated with cryptocurrency mining that you should be aware of.

  • Physical Security in the first place is important. Many mining operations take place in urban areas that are easily accessible. Some even lack adequate security. Smaller operations are held in private residences and warehouses. It should be considered how secure is the mining location, Is the location hazard-proof? (Flooding and fire). Is it possible for thieves to just break in and steal miners?

  • Online security is then critical. There has been a lot of headlines recently about hackers in the blockchain space. With the increase in popularity of blockchain and cryptocurrencies, hackers have been looking into hacking, not just users’ cryptocurrency wallets but also processing power.

In this article, we will discuss the security dangers of the mining as well as methods to take to keep your farm safe from unauthorized access.

To put it simply, there are two methods for mining cryptocurrency. These are private crypto mining from home and cloud crypto mining. The following two ideas will be investigated insignificant detail:

Private crypto mining:  The electronic wallet, which is used to store the cryptocurrencies generated while mining, is the fundamental foundation for all types of crypto mining. Furthermore, private mining necessitates the use of a specialized program capable of executing the hash function for mining. This can be installed and set up quite easily by any PC owner. Although it is still possible to run Crypto Mining from home using your own computer's CPU, it is no longer recommended for economic reasons. One explanation for this is because there are now "ASIC" (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) chips designed specifically for crypto mining that can mine cryptocurrencies up to one hundred times more efficiently and seven times faster.

Cloud crypto mining: A cloud mining provider can supply hash services for rent. Meanwhile, there are a variety of different suppliers, some of which run entire mining farms. Contracts for various cryptocurrencies can be concluded on the respective provider's website. The contract costs vary according to the service rented. As a result, the suppliers are unaffected by the value of the cryptocurrency.

What are farm network security problems?

1. Miners itself:

There are numerous vulnerabilities, the most serious of which is that viruses target the miner itself. Users must isolate their miners from external networks, strengthen network security, and prevent connecting untrustworthy gadgets to their systems.

New miners connecting to the farm may also be unprotected and susceptible. As a result, anytime you connect a new device, flash it and install the firmware from the beginning.

2. Remote management tools:

Other threats that compromise the security of farms are remote software, outdated routers, VPN servers, open ports on the router, etc. that you install or configure for remote monitoring and management purposes. In these circumstances, ports are open outside the farm network from within the farm network, compromising farm security.

Mineitor and its features

Mineitor is an ASIC farm remote management, control, and monitoring platform that offers you different monitoring and control options with any ASIC mining device.

Mineitor's goal is to make it easier and more secure for farm owners to manage their miners. and solves all the problems above.

With Mineitor it is possible to access the device web panel remotely. All miners' information is visible from the Mineitor panel. And also, you can apply different settings and configs in a more secure way. Between the farm and the Mineitor server, a secure tunnel is built that you can observe through the panel web and has very strong security. All the actions and operations that are done through the web panel are all logged and saved on the server. So, admins or responsible persons can monitor all the activities of other users.

All malicious requests to the miner's web panel are filtered to prevent viruses or attacks. With Mineitor you don’t need to do a port forwarding or opening ports.

To successfully manage a cryptocurrency mining operation, Follow these guidelines:

Pool Lock

To increase security Mineitor provides an anti-theft feature that helps farm owners prevent unwanted Pool changes. The Pool Lock feature prevents malwares, viruses, or hackers to change Pool address or worker ID of your miners. Also, the technicians cannot change the Pool address without coordination with the owner of the farm. If you lock the pool settings for your farm, Mineitor won't allow the pool settings of the devices to be changed except through Mineitor's panel, by reverting back to settings before changes.

Create a secure password

·         Try to use upper and lower case letters.

·         The password needs to have at least one special character.

·         The length should be at least 8 characters.

·         Avoid reusing passwords from other services.

·         Don’t share your passwords or use the same passwords on other sites.

Activate 2FA

We strongly advise you to use two-factor authentication in your account settings after registering or logging into your account. It provides an additional layer of security to your account, guaranteeing that only you have access to it, even if your password has been hacked.

Remote access

In some cases, you may need to access the miner's own web panel, like when you have a custom Firmware on a miner that provides unique functionality that cannot be done in Mineitor's panel. You can easily access their panel using Mineitor's remote browser feature.

Manage and control access to miners

You can add as many users as you want with different permissions and access levels that can access different devices of your farm. This feature is great for those who provide cloud mining services to their customers.

This feature includes two types of users:

• Internal users: Includes employees and technicians of the farms who work with devices.

• Hosting customers: For companies who provide hosting services, they can give access to customers to see or manage their own miners.

How can I check if my account has been hacked? 

In the majority of cases, the attacker will have your device mining to a different wallet. Always make sure you check your worker and ensure everything is still set up the way you initially configured it. Your pool dashboard can be a good indicator when checking both historical and current mining activity. Automated monitoring and alerts can warn you of any unexpected activities on your farm. like Pool, Temperature, or Hashrate changes. you will get a notification of any changes. Mineitor will send Alerts and Notifications if anything happens on your farm and also customize how and when to get notified

  • Login alerts: You will be notified when someone login to your account. 

  • New Miner: You will be notified once a new miner is detected.

  • Connect/Disconnect: When a miner is connected or disconnected, you will be notified.

  • Pool changed: Any changes in the Pool of miners including Worker-id (user) will create an alert if it is not done through Mineitor's panel. However, it will be notified if the Pool is changed directly from the web panel.

  • State Changes: Mineitor By default detects the device's current working state. State changes of miners as, normal/low hashrate/overheated will be notified.  

  • Location changes: Location changes as section, shelves...will be notified.

  • Configuration: New configurations, as well as their failure or succession, will be reported.

  • Remote Browser: Any login and configuration to the miner's web panel through Mineitor's remote browser feature will be alerted 

Monitoring bots are also available in Telegram and may be enabled to keep you informed of all actions surrounding your farms and workers.

 

What if I am hacked?

  • Ensure your network is properly secured against unauthorized external access. Reset and review your router settings and ensure you’re running the latest firmware available for your router.

  • Clear all Authentication tokens on your Account Page

  • Turn off 2FA, and turn it on again.

  • Talk with the support team.

 

Conclusion

As we saw these days The threat of mining farms is greater than ever. Cryptocurrency dangers, security problems, and malware are always appearing.  We at Mineitor aim to create the best software and security for miners. Make ensure that everything, including security, is as simple and straightforward as feasible. The danger of your account or equipment being hacked will be lowered to zero if you follow the instructions outlined in this article. Mineitor is an all-in-one replacement for the remote monitoring and management solutions available out there with a new method that keeps security in mind. So just Removing other remote tools, closing ports, and using Mineitor will improve your farm security.

Mehri Yamini
February 2022