$XMR is back in the headlines after attackers used a macOS Screen Sharing vulnerability to deploy Monero miners. The token is trading around the mid $550s while the same old debate returns. Does real demand for privacy validate the asset, or does the association simply raise the reputational and regulatory risk. Criminal adoption shows that privacy infrastructure has utility. It does not prove the technology is unbreakable or that price appreciation is sustainable. Regulatory pressure, liquidity constraints, and investor psychology still matter more than any single mining incident. Monero’s long-term case rests on resilience, legitimate use, and measurable technical progress rather than recurring cryptojacking stories. The privacy demand is real. The risk of remaining tied to adversarial activity is real too.