Opera's browser update prevents Bitcoin miners from taking over your PC

Opera’s new browser update will now protect your computer from cryptojacking.

After releasing the beta version of the app shortly before Christmas, Opera has now released version 50 to general users.

Cryptojacking is a process by which a website takes over your computer’s processing power and uses it to mine for Cryptocurrency, often without the consent of the user.

Speaking to Wired magazine, Paul Ducklin, senior technologist at the security firm Sophos opined that the surge in Cryptocurrency valuation had driven the rise in cryptojacking by website admins.

Ducklin concluded :”It’s hard to guess the motivation of an unknown website operator,but based on an analysis of our detection data for the month of November, most coinmining sites were doing it on purpose, and a significant majority were taking all the CPU they could get.”

Opera’s Krystian Kolondra, head of Desktop Browser shared the following statement to TheNextWeb about the firm’s motivation:

“We are fans of cryptocurrencies but we simply don’t accept that websites are using people’s computers to mine coins without their knowledge or consent. With the new Opera 50, we want to kick off 2018 by providing people a simple way to regain control of their computers.”

As cryptojacking becomes more prominent, it is hoped that adblockers like AdBlock Plus and major browsers like Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge work to allow users to keep in control of their computers.

Opera’s newest browser update is available here.