They fire professor in Chile for using school computers to undermine cryptocurrencies

A teacher lost his work in the city of Temuco, in Chile, accused of using the resources of the institution for which he worked to undermine cryptoactive. As announced, the educator used 40 teams, day and night, for a long period, to generate personal profits through cryptocurrency mining.

Claudio Álvarez, an academic of the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences of the University of the Andes, expressed his support to the College of Temuco, qualifying as understandable the decision to disconnect the teacher. Álvarez said that “the teacher would not pay for electricity or equipment”, so His actions is equivalent to “stealing resources to others”in this case, electricity, infrastructure and connectivity; He also commented that, although school computers are not usually very powerful, it is possible to obtain small profits if several are used at the same time. Actually, it is estimated that the teacher generated between 500 thousand and 1 million Chilean pesos per month – between USD 530 and USD 1,060 US dollars, according to TrainingView data – with this practice.

Indeed, conventional computers are not adequate to undermine cryptoactive due to their low processing power against the high difficulty of networks such as Bitcoin. To undermine BTC, for example, ASIC machines (integrated circuits of specific application) are required, since they offer greater energy efficiency and calculation capacity, allowing sustainable performance in an environment where difficulty grows constantly. Nevertheless, With common PCs it is still possible to undermine other less demanding cryptocurrenciesalthough the profits are usually limited and depend on the type of currency, the electricity consumption and the time of the equipment.

Rodrigo Durán Guzmán, communications representative of Exchange Cryptomkt, explained that “mining has become a highly professional and competitive activity,” but warned that There are variants that, in addition to undermining data theft or equipment remote control. He considers that this could be the case of the teacher, a behavior that “is not only little ethical, but can also lead to serious legal consequences.” The teacher was discovered in October 2024, during an inspection of the Department of Municipal Education, and was fired shortly after.

Durán also took advantage of the instance to warn about some signals that could indicate the unauthorized use of a computer. He pointed out that «one of the most common indications is an unusually high use of the processor, especially when demanding programs are not being executed«. He concluded by stating: “Mining is no longer a viable or safe option for common users or beginners.”

The case of Temuco professor also works to rekindle the debate about Cryptojacking, a common practice that consists of the unauthorized use of devices – such as computers or mobile phones – to undermine cryptocurrencies. This technique, whose name combines the terms Crypto (cryptoactive) and hooching (kidnapping), is based on “kidnap” the processing capacity of a equipment without the user knowing it, in order to generate profits. From cryptootics we prepare a cryptopedia to inform more about the subject.

Avoiding unauthorized use of a crypto -active underpier computer requires monitoring its performance, having updated security software capable of detecting malicious programs and avoiding the installation of unsecked applications; also It is important to establish clear policies on the use of technological resources in institutions and companiescarry out periodic audits, and educate students and employees on ethical practices and the risks of improper use of the equipment.

A similar case occurred in 2022 in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, where the cyber police detected a cryptocurrency mining operation at the facilities of the National College of Technical Professional Education (CONALEP). As reported by the authorities, the infrastructure of the institution was being used – including its equipment, electricity and Internet connection – to undercut cryptoactive clandestine form. Following this finding, both the Ministry of Public Security and the Directorate of the Educational Center filed complaints before the State Prosecutor’s Office, claiming that the activity would have generated “millionaire profits.” However, experts in the sector pointed out that such a statement is far from reality.

Meanwhile, in El Salvador Mining has found a place in classrooms as an educational tool. In marked contrast with the case of the teacher in Temuco, In Salvadoran schools, learning on cryptoactive transparent ones is promotedpedagogical and participatory. Thanks to initiatives such as Node Nation and with the support of the National Office of Bitcoin (ONBTC), primary students have installed and operated Bitcoin nodes, in addition to MINAR BTC with Bitaxe devices: small equipment and low energy consumption.