Chameleon Miner

The world of mining is fraught with danger — particularly when you don’t trust your software. It doesn’t help that some newer malware include a mining component to them, getting your computer to generate cryptocurrency for the attacker without your knowledge.

If mining interests you, then finding a proper software solution to help you with this enterprise is of particular importance. Chameleon Miner is a program that seeks to mine cryptocurrency in a way that is both efficient and lucrative. Note that it only supports the Monero (XMR) currency, so it’s best to look elsewhere if that’s not what you’re after.

Chameleon Miner seeks to be true to its name, and fair enough. The developer states that the goal is to maximize efficiency, both in terms of power draw and mining output. An emphasis on simplicity and ease of use was clearly considered during the development of the software.

In order to get started, you’ll simply have to enter your Monero wallet address, then click the Start Mining button. That’s practically all there is to it, and to further the program’s set-and-forget nature, Stealth Mode is a function that will automatically start the program whenever you boot up your computer but hidden from view.

You can keep up to date with your progress via the Pool Payouts web interface, which goes into detail about several performance metrics, such as your computer’s current hash rate, your averages, as well as the scripts used.

Once enabled, Stealth Mode will boot up the program and start mining every time you power on your computer. This comes with a caveat: as the program is hidden while in Stealth Mode, you cannot access it normally. To disable the mode, you’ll have to head to the software’s directory and edit the info.ini file.

Chameleon Miner is certainly an interesting mining solution. Though I find the emphasis on simplicity admirable, the lack of configuration options, such as being able to tweak how much your CPU and GPU are being used, is a bummer.