Google Bans All Cryptomining Extensions From the Chrome Store

It's been about six months since cryptojacking exploded, and in that short time the approach has evolved and adapted to initiate illicit cryptocurrency mining in all different ways. Now, Google's taking a stand, announcing Monday that it would begin blocking any Chrome extension submitted to the Web Store that mines cryptocurrency. But Google had until now allowed mining extensions in the Chrome Web Store as long as they were expressly and solely for mining, and thoroughly informed users about their function. This empowers our developers to build creative and innovative customizations for Chrome browser users," says James Wagner, Google's extensions platform product manager. The ban likely won't eliminate the problem on its own, since attackers have been increasingly developing ways to conceal an extension's mining functionality until after it gets Chrome Web Store approval.