Microsoft quietly banned crypto mining activities in Azure, Office 365, Dynamics 365 and Power Platform.
Microsoft argues that preventing crypto mining preserves the performance of services for other customers and protects users from potential malicious activity associated with crypto mining.
The tech giant added that it has seen an increase in crypto miners trying to take advantage of the cloud. In addition, Microsoft mentioned that certain types of malware have been used to mine crypto without user knowledge or consent.
New policy on crypto mining
The new policy won’t prevent the use of cryptocurrencies, such as buying, selling and trading. However, any activities involving crypto mining software or hardware are strictly prohibited.
Microsoft will actively monitor for violations of the policy and take the appropriate steps to remediate. Besides, Microsoft is working on tools to help customers identify and mitigate crypto mining activity in their environments.
This includes identifying malware, as well as providing guidance on best practices around security posture and detection techniques. With these tools, customers can ensure their services remain secure and available.
The company’s move is the latest in a string of actions taken by major tech companies to clamp down on cryptocurrency mining activity across their products and services.
As cryptocurrencies become more popular, Microsoft is expected to take more proactive measures to protect resources from potential abuse.
Signal
By banning crypto mining activities, Microsoft is sending a clear message that it has zero tolerance for malicious activity on its cloud platform. It will be interesting to see how other tech giants respond to the move.
6 hours ago
