Avira antivirus adds Ethereum mining software

Avira’s antivirus now includes software for mining Ethereum. Previously, Norton 360 had implemented a similar capability.

As reported in the Krebs on Security blog, Avira now ships with a pre-installed cryptominer, but customers must consent to its use.

Earlier, users complained that the miner embedded in the popular Norton 360 antivirus starts up without explicit permission.

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According to users, the miner is also extremely difficult to disable.

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In December 2020, NortonLifeLock, the company that owns Norton 360, announced the acquisition of Avira.

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The ability to mine cryptocurrency in Avira was announced in October.

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To mine more profitably, users are invited to join a pool — the rewards are shared equally among all participants.

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As with Norton 360, Avira takes a 15% mining fee.

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According to Brian Krebs, there are signs that Avira uses the same cryptocurrency miner code as Norton Crypto. The antivirus is used by more than 500 million people worldwide.

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NortonLifeLock announced the launch Norton Crypto for Ethereum mining in the summer of 2021.

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