Avira, the antivirus company, has announced that it is now mining cryptocurrency. This is a big deal for two reasons. First, it means that Avira can offer its customers more protection against ransomware and other malware threats. Second, it means that Avira can make a profit from the sale of cryptocurrency-related services. This move comes as a bit of a surprise to many people, given that Avira has been largely silent on the topic of cryptocurrency. However, there are a few reasons why this might be changing. For one, cryptocurrency is growing in popularity and value. This makes it an attractive investment for companies like Avira, which can earn money from selling products related to cryptocurrencies. Second, there is growing demand for antivirus software that can protect against cryptocurrency-related threats. This is because ransomware and other malware attacks often take advantage of vulnerabilities in cryptocurrencies (such as Bitcoin). As such, aviras crypto-mining service could be seen as an important addition to the company’s line-up of security products.
Also, like Norton 360 is the fee. According to Avira, “The coin mining fee is currently 15% of the crypto allocated to the miner.” You may also have to pay a fee to transfer your currency to another wallet, but that isn’t charged by Avira.
Since cryptomining requires a high level of processing power, it is not suitable for users with an average computer.
Even with compatible hardware, mining cryptocurrencies on your own can be less rewarding. Your best option is to join a mining pool that shares their computer power to improve their chance of mining cryptocurrency. The rewards are then distributed evenly to all members in the pool.
Interestingly, when testing Norton’s miner, Mitchell Clark of The Verge found that “a night of mining on an RTX 3060 Ti netted $0.66 worth of Ethereum and cost $0.66 in off-peak electricity. Norton took all the profit.” There’s no reason it would be any different with Avira’s tool, as it’s using the same fee schedule.
So is it worth it to mine crypto this way? With a 15% fee taken off the top, it’s probably not worth it, as you’re likely to simply break even with the electricity cost.
