Cryptojacking is a legitimate issue within the crypto sphere right now. As we’ve previously reported, this underhanded practice is becoming rampant, with the likes of The Pirate Bay taking part. Taking a stand against cryptojacking malware, Firefox will block it from operating in future versions of the somewhat controversial web browser.
Cryptojacking is Becoming More Prevalent
It would probably be unfair to label crypto jacking as a scam, as it doesn’t directly steal. But, what it does do is steal processing power and in a long-winded way the rights an individual would have to crypto mining returns that occur as a result. In an attempt to stop this from happening, Firefox has made the decision to implement new anti-tracking measures. Its decision hasn’t come about through sheer goodwill alone, what it is linked to is a study published by Ghostery. This study has revealed that more than 55% of the time required to load a website is now taken up by third party trackers. New versions of Firefox will block these trackers, which will mean that crypto mining scripts are now under threat.
Tracking, Blocking, and Stopping
Through the means of tracking and blocking, Firefox is adopting a pretty clear set of controls – something that other browsers simply aren’t doing right now. Firefox is making it clear that they aren’t taking cryptojacking malware lying down, with it handing users choice over the data that it chooses to share with sites visited. Two years ago, Mozilla implemented various practices that pushed users to take increased care of how they handle online privacy, with this feeling like a continuation of that.
Firefox was also said to thinking about how to block connections to HTTPS secure servers that employ weak and fragile encryption. The result of this would be to establish a minimum of 1023 bits for TLS handshakes, making use of Diffie-Hellman keys. This shift to enable users to experience true protection is underway, with Firefox certainly putting its best foot forward.
Opera Steps Up
Firefox is looking to stomp out cryptojacking, but it’s not the only browser making moves. Opera has also introduced its very own anti-crypto mining procedures to much critical claim. These measures were included within the browsers integrated ad blocker. This came about back in December, with Opera announcing that it is adding this feature to its mobile browser. Opera is also progressing with its browser in-built crypto wallet functionality, which could prove to be a game changer.
Taking on the Cryptojackers
Opera has led the way when it comes to browser-based crypto security and implementation. But, thanks to its new measures, Firefox is starting to catch up. Cryptojacking has become a problem for the crypto sphere, but it’s browsers like Firefox that are looking to eradicate it. Our hats are off to the Mozilla team, as after what feels like forever, it’s emerging from a cloud of controversy to present something positive.
