Firefox To Block Crypto Mining Malware By Default In Future Releases

In one of the measures implemented to improve performance, Firefox, the fifth most popular browser in the world with a market share of 3.41%, will automatically block scripts related to crypto mining malware.

Furthermore, the Mozilla Foundation, creator of the open-source browser, stated that it plans to block trackers along with other “harmful” schemes in the upcoming releases.

The not-for profit entity has also pointed out that features such as anti-tracking function are already made available in the beta version of Firefox Nightly. The ultimate aim is to restrain third-party scripts from disrupting the user experience, said Nick Nguyen, vice president of Mozilla.

Such scripts are usually embedded in a website and have the capability to install without authorization from a user before taking control of the resources. The scripts that make use of unused computer power to mine cryptos, a process referred to as crypto jacking, also come under this category.

Nguyen said “Deceptive practices that invisibly collect identifiable user information or degrade user experience are becoming more common.”

He further explained:

“For example, some trackers fingerprint users — a technique that allows them to invisibly identify users by their device properties, and which users are unable to control. Other sites have deployed cryptomining scripts that silently mine cryptocurrencies on the user’s device. Practices like these make the web a more hostile place to be. Future versions of Firefox will block these practices by default.”

The new features will be initially tested on the Firefox Nightly version. If the test goes successful, then the above mentioned features will be made available by default in the Firefox 63 release.
With this update, Mozilla joins the likes of Opera and Google, who are implementing changes in their respective browsers to protect users from mining malwares which can hamper user experience and even bring down the computers life time.

Earlier in January, Opera rolled out miner protection for the smart phone version of its browser. This facility is also active by default. Notably, Opera has already offered mining malware protection on the desktop version of its browsers. In the meanwhile, Google has banned crypto mining related apps from its Play Store. However, it has not made any official announcement about blocking scripts embedded within websites.