Websites have the ability to use your machine to mine cryptocurrencies while you’re browsing.
The idea is that as instead of running ads, the website uses some of your computer’s processing power to mine cryptocurrency instead. Assuming you let people know what you’re doing and you’re not taking a large amount of resource from the computer, this is an interesting option.
The idea that you could be willing give over a tiny portion of your processing power in return for seeing no advertisements is a trade that some people would like to make. However websites doing it without your consent makes it a whole different issue.
This is what the Pirate Bay has been accused of and considering it’s one of the most popular websites in the world, this news has been making a large impact.
Adblock Plus is a browser attachment that allows you to have a greater control over your online experience can block the code used by these websites to mine cryptocurrencies.
How to stop hackers mining cryptocurrency on your PC
- Go into your browser settings, and find the Add-ons (Firefox) or Extensions (Chrome) settings.
- Find Adblock Plus, go into the options, and you’ll see an option to Add Filters.
- Once you’re there, add a new entry and paste this in “coin-hive.com/lib/coinhive.min.js”, and then click add.
You may also want to check if you have any malicious software on your PC that mines cryptocurrency without your knowing. As with most malware, the best tool to use is Malware Bytes which is regarded as the most effective tool to deal with any potential infections. If you’d like to know more about keeping your PC safe, have a look at our guide here.