Police were called to dismantle a secret cryptomining rig winding throughout the floors and ventilation ducts of a Polish court in September, according to Polish news channel TVN24.

Several secured computers were discovered, potentially stealing thousands of Polish Zlotys worth of energy per month (the equivalent of roughly $250 per 1,000 Zlotys.) It's currently unknown how long the rig was running because the illegal operation went undetected, partly because the computers used were connected to the Internet through their own modems rather than through the court's network.

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Rambler wrote on November 20, 2023 at 10:02 PM

#5,814

Well, not paying for power is one way to achieve profitability.

I always assumed this sort of thing likely occurred in industries where there is massive power consumption already where a rig or two may go undetected.

notme wrote on December 19, 2023 at 3:29 PM

#5,825

There are several ways in fooling the electric company and not pay for power. I did not it in a very long time (4 decades). There is another problem with the electrical signature of a computer plugged into the power grid. A friend of mine was a saleman for a company that made UPSes (uninterupted power supply that masked the signature to grid). There is also an electromagnetic signature (that I can mask myself). My guess is that either was a rat or the money printers starting to use this type of technology on regular bases.