After multiple reports of secret attempts to use your computer CPUs to mine cryptocurrencies, a browser has come ahead to fight the perpetrators.
Opera’s latest version of its internet browser—Opera 50’s stable release has a built-in solution to “keep miners from trespassing onto your machine.”
The NoCoin – Cryptocurrency Mining Protection when checked, filters JavaScript codes of in-browser miners like Coinhive. The filtering happens almost in the similar fashion any ad-blocker functions.
“After we recently updated the rules for our built-in ad blocker mechanism, we eliminated cryptocurrency mining scripts that overuse your device’s computing ability. Simply enable Opera’s ad blocker to prevent cryptocurrency mining sites from doing their dirty work on your computer,” Kornelia Mielczarczyk, a product tester for Opera wrote in a blog post.
An Opera flyer showing a reduction in CPU usage when the 'NoCoin' is on. Source: Opera
The in-browser miners secretly run a code which uses your computer’s processing power to mine cryptocurrencies like bitcoins. This can result in extremely high power consumption, slowing down of the computers and heating of the CPU.
Apparently, these mining could continue even after the browser is closed. Many evolved miners also open a pop-under—sort of ‘invisible’ browser which is hidden under the taskbar on the desktop. This does not close even after the visible browser is closed.
Recently, Google Chrome had to take down a popular browser extension after the users reported that it was syphoning off CPU power to mine cryptocurrency.
Earlier, a popular piracy website The Pirate Bay used Coinhive to secretly mine cryptocurrencies.
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