The latest version of Opera has been released with an option that allows users to block cryptocurrency mining scripts.
Hackers have recently found a way to make quick profits by injecting a script by CoinHive into websites, making their visitors mine Monero for them.
A new version of Opera—Opera 50—has included an option in its interface, called “NoCoin”, that intends to protect users from these types of infiltrations.
“Bitcoins are really hot right now, but did you know that they might actually be making your computer hotter?… This cryptocurrency mining can sometimes continue after you have first visited the site. But we, as the only major browser with an integrated ad blocker, have a built-in solution to keep miners from trespassing onto your machine,” read their announcement.
Much like an ad blocker, the NoCoin option scans a website’s code for “script signatures” that attempt to initiate client-side mining through the browser.
Adblock and other similar software already have a mechanism in place which can be used to scan these particular scripts, according to a conversation we had with security expert Willem de Groot earlier this year.
“We need some centralized efforts to maintain a list of all the domains that contain (CoinHive’s) malware. This is better suited to be done by an ad blocker for which most people report new malware to a central place,” he said.
Adblock Plus even released instructions to its users to configure their software to detect CoinHive scripts.
As far as we know, Opera is the only browser that currently includes a built-in default option that combats script mining. However, it’s likely that other software developers will follow suit with their own solutions.
For Chrome users, there’s always the option to use No Coin, an extension that specifically blocks cryptocurrency miners in one fell swoop.
Source: www.cryptovest.com
