NortonLifeLock is shutting down a cryptocurrency miner that runs on its antivirus product.
The corporate is citing Ethereum’s change to a “Proof-of-Stake” mannequin, which can section out GPU-based mining for the cryptocurrency. The approaching transition, also called the Merge, is slated to happen as quickly as Thursday, Sept. 15.
“On account of the upcoming Ethereum Merge(Opens in a brand new window) altering how Ether might be mined, GPU mining will not be doable, which is why Norton/Avira Crypto mining can be disabled on our platform on September 14 at 9 am EST,” an organization spokesperson instructed PCMag.
The spokesperson added: “Prospects who mined with us can proceed to entry any stability they’ve earned mining with Norton/Avira Crypto via their Pockets, they usually can withdraw it to their Coinbase account at any time. Whereas mining will not be doable, the Pockets will proceed to be supported.”
The corporate launched the mining operate for its Norton360 product a 12 months in the past to assist its prospects capitalize on the then-soaring cryptocurrency market. NortonLifeLock additionally claimed the miner served a safety function, pointing to what number of customers had been downloading unvetted and probably malicious crypto-mining applications to their PCs.
The mining operate tapped right into a PC’s discrete graphics to generate the Ethereum. In return, NortonLifeLock charged a price for the mining. The corporate additionally introduced the identical mining operate to Avira’s personal antivirus instruments, which NortonLifeLock acquired in 2020.
Nevertheless, the choice to supply the miner over the antivirus applications acquired some backlash from customers and safety consultants over considerations the corporate was saddling customers with non-removable bloatware. In its protection, NortonLifeLock mentioned the mining instrument was opt-in solely.
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The corporate is now disabling the miner, however the shutdown could also be short-term. An organization spokesperson mentioned NortonLifeLock is “wanting into” increasing mining to a different cryptocurrency.
“We’re all the time evaluating new expertise and innovation. We’re listening to our prospects about their pursuits and wishes for future choices,” the spokesperson added.
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