Microsoft has officially banned crypto mining on its Azure cloud services in a rather quiet manner.
An update (opens in a new tab) to its Universal Online Services License Terms, which applies primarily to its cloud platform, states that "mining of cryptocurrency is prohibited without prior approval from Microsoft."
The post goes on to explain that written approval is required for those seeking to use the company's services for crypto mining, stating that "neither the Client nor those who access any online services through the Client" are authorized to use them for this purpose. end.
mining hazards
The policy change was also posted (opens in a new tab) in the Azure solutions area of the Microsoft Partner Community web page, under the heading "Important actions partners need to take to secure the Azure ecosystem." partners".
Here it was included among the changes to "minimize the potential damage of fraud to your customers' subscriptions." Again, he emphasized the need for "prior written approval... granted by Microsoft" to sanction the use of its servers for provision of digital tokens.
Microsoft is concerned about the dangers these activities pose to its infrastructure. In response to a registration query (opens in a new tab), the tech giant said that cryptocurrency mining can "disrupt or even harm online services and their users," adding that cryptocurrency mining "often can be linked to cyber fraud and abusive attacks such as unauthorized attacks." access and use of customer resources. »
However, they added the caveat that crypto mining "may be considered for testing and finding security detections."
Microsoft is not alone in restricting crypto mining on its cloud platforms. Google Cloud, Oracle, and OHVcloud have banned it in their services, and Amazon Web Services only allows it in their paid subscription tiers.
Microsoft banned mining for a while on its free tier, but has also extended its policy to its paid options.