Opera Bitcoin Mining Protection Feature Arrives In Next Update

As bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies rise in value, a number of websites have been caught hijacking visitors' browsers and using their devices to mine digital currency without permission. This is a problem for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that this causes the user's computer to slow down and grow very hot. Opera is offering a convenient solution to the problem: an anti-cryptocurrency mining protection feature built into its browser.

The bitcoin mining protection feature is called NoCoin, and it is found in Opera 50, the release candidate of which is now available. NoCoin is something the user has control of — if you don't want it on, you can just leave it disabled. If you want that protection, however, you can simply turn it on by checking the NoCoin feature found under Settings (Windows) or Preferences (macOS).

Opera browser features an ad-blocker built-in, eliminating the need to use an extension. The NoCoin feature is now part of that larger ad-blocking feature, which is why it is listed under the software's "Block ads" category. If you attempt to visit a page that has bitcoin mining scripts running, Opera will block it from loading, preventing the computer from being used for this purpose.

If you're not an Opera user, you have some other options to protect yourself from unwanted cryptocurrency mining. A popular extension on Google Chrome is called "No Coin," and there are other options like "Anti Miner" and "minerBlock." Be sure to research whatever software you choose before installing it, however.

SOURCE: Opera Blog