Showtime websites secretly mined user CPU for cryptocurrency, by Shannon Lao.

This past weekend, Showtime websites were found to be running a script that allows the sites to mine visitors’ extra CPU power for cryptocurrency … The afflicted sites included showtime.com and showtimeanytime.com, but the script has since been removed following reports from Gizmodo and other sites. …

The script mines the cryptocurrency known as Monero. Launched in April 2014, Monero is meant to be a more anonymous version of Bitcoin because you can purchase it offline with cash. Thirty percent of the proceeds go to Coinhive, while sites using the service, like Showtime and The Pirate Bay, keep the rest. For its part, The Pirate Bay has apologized for secretly running the script and then asked its users if they preferred ads or CPU mining. Surprisingly, many of the comments indicate a positive reception towards the idea.

hat-tip Matthew