Source:
https://scmp.com/business/money/article/2154683/china-shuts-cryptojacking-operation-infiltrated-39-million-personal
Business/ Money

China nabs crypto thieves who use social media plug-ins to steal computing power for bitcoin

China allows the mining of bitcoin, but prohibits domestic cryptocurrency exchanges. Photo: Bloomberg

Authorities in Shandong province have arrested 20 individuals for hijacking 3.89 million personal computers as part of a rogue cryptocurrency mining operation since 2015 that netted more than 15 million yuan (US$2.26 million).

Computer technicians at Tencent, China’s biggest gaming and social media company, first discovered the malware embedded in software designed to enable online gamers to cheat, alerting authorities in January, according to a report posted on the Shandong government’s media site.