--- title: "Thursday Buzz: Watch Out for Cryptojacking" id: "42327" type: "post" slug: "thursday-buzz-watch-out-for-cryptojacking" published_at: "2018-04-19T20:01:49+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T21:47:55+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/04/19/thursday-buzz-watch-out-for-cryptojacking/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/04/19/thursday-buzz-watch-out-for-cryptojacking.md" excerpt: "The latest website security concern, which jumps on the cryptocurrency craze, could be a big headache for users of WordPress or Drupal. Also: XDP gets going in a big way." taxonomy_category: - "Marketing / Communications" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "cryptojacking" - "cybersecurity" - "Technology" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Thursday Buzz: Watch Out for Cryptojacking The nature of security risks facing organizations is constantly evolving, and the problems might look nothing like what they did even six months ago. Case in point: Content management systems like WordPress and Drupal are increasingly becoming targets for attacks that have the goal of siphoning server resources to mine for cryptocurrency. The phenomenon, called “cryptojacking,” has become increasingly common. Last fall, attacks [were being reported on WordPress sites (opens in a new tab)](https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2017/10/cryptocurrency-mining-wordpress/) ; this week, an analysis by the SANS Technology Institute, a major cybersecurity researcher, [uncovered attempts to do the same (opens in a new tab)](https://isc.sans.edu/forums/diary/A+Review+of+Recent+Drupal+Attacks+CVE20187600/23563/) on Drupal sites. The two platforms are among the most widely used for content management, so cryptojacking could prove a serious risk for associations that rely on them. The result of these attacks is potentially twofold. They could lead to your servers wasting resources on cryptocurrency miners, and they could even lead to the spread of malware in individual users’ browsers. And with the financial incentive to these attacks clear, odds are they will become more sophisticated over time. “Due to the lucrativeness of these schemes, they will continue to grow,” [the website Cryptovest noted last year (opens in a new tab)](https://cryptovest.com/news/attackers-increasingly-turning-to-personal-wordpress-sites-to-mine-crypto/) . “It was noted that although that attacks that attempt to embed cryptomining malware are currently unsophisticated, these attackers are thought to likely increase their skills just because of the money they stand to make.” These incidents are great reminders as to why you need to keep your platforms up to date—as well as to keep an eye on the risks that could be hiding around the corner. ### XDP Gets Going > Woah—who needs coffee when you have a dj at 9 am? [#myxdp (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/myxdp?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [pic.twitter.com/IKHBVy8eRm (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/IKHBVy8eRm) > > — maggielmcg (@maggielmcg) [April 19, 2018 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/maggielmcg/status/986958684466110464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **The second year of ASAE’s Xperience Design Project,** taking place in National Harbor, Maryland, on Thursday and Friday, is bound to wake up the senses—and then some. [Keep an eye on the #myXDP hashtag (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/myxdp) to see highlights from the experience. ### Other Links of Note **Why notifications are less annoying** on Android devices than they are on iPhones, [per The Verge (opens in a new tab)](https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/18/17243712/iphone-android-notifications-processor) . **What’s an UnExpo?** Meetings designer and facilitator Adrian Segar [looks into one attempt (opens in a new tab)](https://www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/event-design/2018/04/the-unexpo-experiment/) to freshen up the event experience. **According to *CMSWire*,** the enterprise is bound to get a lot of mileage out of augmented reality and virtual reality. [Here’s why. (opens in a new tab)](https://www.cmswire.com/digital-workplace/5-ways-augmented-and-virtual-reality-are-infiltrating-the-enterprise/) (spainter_vfx/iStock/Getty Images Plus) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#cryptojacking](https://associationsnow.com/tag/cryptojacking/) [#cybersecurity](https://associationsnow.com/tag/cybersecurity/) [#Technology](https://associationsnow.com/tag/technology/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Tech Stack: How AI Is Changing the Association PlaybookOctober 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/29/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-tech-stack-how-ai-is-changing-the-association-playbook/) - [PodcastSecuring Identity: What Associations Need to Know About Verifiable CredentialsJune 25, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/06/25/securing-identity-what-associations-need-to-know-about-verifiable-credentials/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: More Than Marketing: The Power of Strategic CommunicationsJuly 30, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/07/30/associations-now-presents-more-than-marketing-the-power-of-strategic-communications/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: Why Slower Marketing Can Drive Stronger Member Engagement (Episode 27)June 25, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/06/25/associations-now-presents-why-slower-marketing-can-drive-stronger-member-engagement-episode-27/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2018%2F04%2F19%2Fthursday-buzz-watch-out-for-cryptojacking%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !