Opera Adds a Built-In Ad Blocker to Thwart Cryptojacking Attempts

Fans of Bitcoin and similar currencies should know all about cryptojacking by now. This particularly worrisome trend has been growing in popularity for quite some time now, and it seems things will not improve in this regard. Thankfully, there’s now a somewhat easy way to determine whether or not one has fallen victim to cryptojacking.

Make Sure to do the Cryptojacking Test

While there is no foolproof method of dealing with cryptojacking as of right now, installing an ad blocker is certainly the right way to go. With an ad blocker, most websites trying to mine cryptocurrencies through one’s browser will have their efforts nullified. That doesn’t necessarily mean those websites won’t come up with other ways to mine cryptocurrencies, but it is a viable approach in this regard.

With an online “cryptojacking test” now live, most people should be able to identify whether or not their browser is vulnerable to this new criminal trend. One also has to keep in mind that some websites give their users a chance to opt in to cryptocurrency in-browser mining, but most platforms are not that transparent about doing so. Opting out of cryptojacking is virtually impossible at this stage, unfortunately.

The CryptoJacking Test website will determine whether or not one’s browser is running an ad blocker of some sort. Since most browsers do not offer that functionality by default, installing a proper extension or plugin is more than warranted at this stage. It does appear the Opera browser is taking a more proactive approach in this regard, as it now has a built-in ad blocker.

Even so, the website displays some worrisome statistics. Over 81% of the people using this site are adequately protected against cryptojacking attacks. That is a rather heartening number, yet it also means that one in five users are still vulnerable to this malicious activity. Websites engaging in cryptojacking use your CPU cycles to mine cryptocurrencies on behalf of site owners. Avoiding this type of activity is the only viable course of action at this stage.

Whether or not the “victims” can rectify their current predicament remains to be seen. It is apparent that a lot of people still dismiss cryptojacking as a fad, even though there is plenty of evidence of websites using this method as a way to generate extra revenue. Without giving users an option to opt out of this mining activity, most sites are bringing a lot of negative attention to this particular business model.

It is evident that Cryptojacking Test was also designed as a way to promote usage of the Opera browser. The firm is the first browser provider to incorporate an ad blocker to thwart cryptojacking efforts, which will hopefully show up in other browsers as well. For now, fans of Chrome and Firefox will need to rely on third-party plugins to achieve that goal. Protecting oneself from this nefarious activity is a top priority when using the internet these days, for obvious reasons.