Following the revelation that The Pirate Bay has recently started testing scripts that utilise their users" PC for mining cryptocurrency without their consent, AdBlock Plus has released a new filter that users can add to the extension to prevent sites from doing so in the future.
The most popular torrent site in the world and one of the top 100 sites worldwide, The Pirate Bay accounts for a significant amount of internet traffic and its exploitation of users" CPUs for mining, especially without their permission, did not go unnoticed. While the website claimed the tests would be completed within the span of a day, AdBlock Plus now offers a more permanent solution to the problem.
The AdBlock Plus extension, which can be found on Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, allows users to block unwanted ads on websites. On top of this, it allows the setting up of custom filters to block specific unwanted elements or to allows certain websites to keep displaying ads (known as whitelisting).
Using these filters, you can block the specific script that is used to hijack your system resources. Adding a new filter with the text "oin-hive.com/lib/coinhive.min.js" on any of the desktop browsers that support the extension should do the job and block sites from utilising the CPU without permission.
A quick reminder: If you are using adblocking software, we would greatly appreciate it if you whitelisted Neowin. Advertising enables us to continue the Neowin community. We offer low-cost subscriptions, which support us while removing advertising without the need for extra software. You"ll also see fewer ads across the site if you register (free!) as a member and log in.
Via: VentureBeat