On January 2025, cybersecurity giant Kaspersky uncovered a large-scale cyberattack campaign dubbed StaryDobry, which exploited game torrents to secretly mine Monero ($XMR) cryptocurrency. This stealthy malware operation infected thousands of gaming PCs globally, turning unsuspecting gamers into unwilling participants in Monero’s mining network. The alarming discovery once again highlighted how vulnerable traditional Proof-of-Work (PoW) cryptocurrencies like Monero are to botnet exploitation.
But while Monero continues to struggle with such threats, new-generation privacy coins like Ryo Currency ($RYO) offer a far more secure alternative — one that resists botnet infiltration by design.
The StaryDobry Cyberattack Explained
According to Kaspersky’s official report (tweet link: Kaspersky X Post), the StaryDobry campaign began seeding malware-laden torrents of popular games like Garry’s Mod, Dyson Sphere Program, and Universe Sandbox as early as September 2024. These cracked game installers included hidden payloads that installed the XMRig mining software — a common tool for mining Monero — without the user’s knowledge.
The malware only activated on PCs with eight or more CPU cores, ensuring that only high-performance gaming rigs were exploited. Once activated, the software ran in the background, quietly siphoning off CPU power to mine Monero for the hackers.
By the time the malware was detected in January 2025, thousands of gaming PCs had been compromised — most notably in Russia, but also in Brazil, Germany, and Belarus.
How Monero’s Mining System Enables Botnet Exploitation
The StaryDobry campaign is not an isolated incident. A major 2023 report called Operation Endgame previously revealed that at least 40% of Monero’s global mining hashrate is powered by botnets — massive networks of infected computers controlled by cybercriminals.
Monero’s Cryptonight-R algorithm is CPU-friendly, making it highly susceptible to mass infections on consumer PCs. While this was originally intended to promote decentralization, it has ironically resulted in a highly centralized mining network controlled by a handful of bad actors.
Ryo Currency: The Privacy Coin That Resists Botnets
Unlike Monero, Ryo Currency has taken a proactive approach to resisting botnet exploitation from day one.
Ryo uses the Cryptonight-GPU algorithm — a mining algorithm specifically designed to favor GPU mining while making CPU mining inefficient. Since botnet malware like XMRig primarily targets CPUs, Cryptonight-GPU renders such attacks economically unviable.
This innovation ensures that Ryo’s mining network remains truly decentralized, powered by individual GPU miners rather than hijacked computers.
Why Cryptonight-GPU Matters for Privacy and Decentralization
By resisting CPU-based botnets, Ryo Currency provides several critical advantages:
- Decentralization: No large-scale botnet can control a significant portion of the network.
- Security: Lower risk of network attacks and malicious mining.
- Privacy: Honest miners power the network, not nefarious actors.
For those concerned with true financial privacy, Ryo Currency’s technological choices make it a safer option than Monero.
Conclusion: The Future of Secure Private Money
The StaryDobry cyberattack highlights how vulnerable Monero’s CPU-friendly mining system is to exploitation by cybercriminals. As long as Monero remains a target for botnet operators, its decentralization and privacy will continue to be compromised.
New-generation privacy coins like Ryo Currency and Conceal Network are paving the way for a more secure future. With the Cryptonight-GPU algorithm, Ryo Currency provides a botnet-resistant, decentralized alternative — one that protects both the network and its users.
Watch our full breakdown of the StaryDobry cyberattack and how Ryo fights back:
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