Tag Archive for: Mining

Mining firms’ award underscores job security

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Hinatuan Mining Corp. (HMC) and Taganito Mining Corp. (TMC) were recently named Regional Winners in the 2021 Search for Outstanding Labor-Management Cooperation Program, the sister firms under Nickel Asia Corp. (NAC) said in a statement.

They are now contenders for the National LMC Competition, the awardees of which will be announced this December.

The award is given by the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) for Outstanding Labor-Management Cooperation (LMC) and Grievance Machinery (GM) for Industrial Peace in the regional level.

NAC is the Philippine’s largest producer of lateritic nickel ore and one of the largest in the world. Its operations are multiple winners of the Presidential Mineral Industry Environment Award (PMIEA), the highest recognition for environmental excellence in mining in the country.

NCMB honored HMC and TMC, subsidiaries of NAC, for exemplary dedication, support and determination in sustaining harmonious labor-management relations in the workplace.

Policarpo O. Asilo, President of Hinatuan Mining Labor Union-National Federation of Labor Unions-Kilusang Mayo Uno (HIMLU-NAFLU-KMU), shared the excellent relationship HMC has with its Labor Union. 

“The Union and HMC management maintain a good and harmonious relationship by building trust and respect, with open table discussions in making decisions,” Asilo said.

Pedro D. Urbiztondo, TMC Labor Union president, said the award is “proof of the unity and harmony between management and labor union.”

“Through the LMC, programs and activities, and assistance are extended to employees as well as residents of neighboring communities,” he added 

With the theme “Responsiveness and Resilience in Times of Disruption”, the 2021 Search for Outstanding LMC is a special edition, recognizing organizations that have remained focused and true to the very essence of cooperation and partnership, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

This recognition highlights the commitment of NAC’s Human Resources team to job security most especially during crises. 

The outbreak of COVID-19 has had a negative impact in economies and employment across the globe and for a company to be able…

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Hackers are distributing free, cracked games infected with crypto mining malware

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For one reason or another, gamers turn to piracy to get free yet illegal copies of their favorite games. Hackers are well aware of the demand and are more than willing to provide these games, but there’s a catch—the games may be infected with crypto mining malware.

Per a report by the BBC, cracked versions of popular games such as Grand Theft Auto V and NBA 2K19 have been modified to include crypto-mining malware. One particular malware recently discovered by researchers at security company Avast is Crackonosh.

When installed and activated, Crackonosh can successfully disable an operating system’s security and updating software, and then subsequently use the computer’s processing power to mine Monero, a cryptocurrency that’s popular among cybercriminals.

If left unchecked, the malware can slow down the computer and increase the victim’s electricity usage.

Avast says that more than 220,000 computers have been infected with Crackonosh so far, with the Philippines among the countries with the highest number of infections.

  • United Kingdom: 8,946 victims
  • United States: 11,856 victims
  • Poland: 12,727 victims
  • India: 13,779 victims
  • Brazil: 16,584 victims
  • Philippines: 18,448 victims
Crackonosh-malware-data

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Crypto mining Crackonosh malware found in GTA V, The Sims 4 torrents

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Cyber criminals are targeting gamers with “mining malware” as they look to get crypto-rich, according to research published by security firm Avast.

The so-called “Crackonosh” malware is being hidden in free versions of games like NBA 2K19, Grand Theft Auto V, Far Cry 5, The Sims 4 and Jurassic World Evolution, which are available to download on torrent sites, Avast said on Thursday.

Once installed, Crackonosh quietly uses the computer’s processing power to mine cryptocurrencies for the hackers. The malware has been used to generate $2 million worth of a cryptocurrency known as Moreno since at least June 2018, according to Avast.

Avast researcher Daniel Benes told CNBC that infected users may notice that their computers slow down or deteriorate through overuse, while their electricity bill may also be higher than normal.

“It takes all the resources that the computer has so the computer is unresponsive,” he said.

Some 220,000 users have been infected worldwide and 800 devices are being infected every day, according to Benes. However, Avast only detects malicious software on devices that have its antivirus software installed so the actual number could be significantly higher. Brazil, India and the Philippines are among the worst affected countries, while the U.S. has also seen many cases.

The researchers said Crackonosh takes several steps to try to protect itself once it has been installed including disabling Windows Updates and uninstalling security software.

As for where the malware comes from, Avast believes that the author may be Czech — Crackonosh means “mountain spirit” in Czech folklore.

Avast discovered the malware after customers reported the firm’s antivirus was missing from their systems, citing one example of a user posting on Reddit. The company said it investigated this report and others like it.

“In summary, Crackonosh shows the risks in downloading cracked software and demonstrates that it is highly profitable for attackers,” wrote Benes.

“As long as people continue to download cracked software, attacks like these will continue to be profitable for attackers,” Benes added. “The key take-away from this is that you really can’t get something for nothing and when you try to…

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Microsoft and Intel Enable AI-Backed Protection Against CPU Cryptocoin Mining

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The fervor of cryptocoin mining has consumed a large part of the semiconductor industry of late. The demands for high performance silicon to mine these virtual assets with value is one factor in a global shortage of available parts for computers, automobiles, defense, research, and other industries. One consistent element to cryptocoin mining over the last decade is the prevalence of hijacked machines and devices through malware, commonly known as botnets. Previously these armies of machines were co-opted to perform bandwidth attacks against various targets, but they have also been used for their compute resources – mining coins that have value for those that control the botnet. This week Intel and Microsoft are announcing an additional layer of protection against these sorts of attacks.

Commercial machines running Microsoft Windows, and managed through Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, can now be protected against CPU cryptocoin mining through an AI-backed protection mechanism. The security layer requires an Intel processor with Intel’s Hardware Shield (a vPro technology) and Threat Detection Technology enabled, which was introduced in 2018, and uses a combination of tools (such as CPU and GPU) to analyze the code being processed at a low level.

By performing consistent heuristic analysis through the CPU performance monitoring unit at a low level, the system can detect if it is mining without the owner’s consent. This can be detected either through a compromised hypervisor, virtual machine, or in the OS directly hidden as a separate process. If a threat is detected, an Endpoint detection and response solution is implemented to neutralize the mining utility, or quarantine it, and prevent the code from spreading across a network or fleet of managed systems.

Intel lists that over a billion CPUs can enable its Threat Detection Technology, from its 6th Generation processors onwards – Microsoft also highlights that Defender for Endpoint with TDT is supported on these systems. However both companies hide the fact in a footnote that the specific Cryptomining detection implementation is only possible on 10th Generation and newer platforms. It is also worth…

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