Google’s Ban of Obfuscated Code From Web Store Extensions Likely to Affect Cryptojackers

Google’s new restrictions on Chrome Web Store extensions introduced Monday, October 1, are likely to affect cryptojackers. In a blog post, Google confirmed that as of now, Chrome extensions submitted to the Web Store would not be allowed if they contained “obfuscated” code. Aside from the security implications, obfuscated code, which the post describes as “mainly used to conceal code functionality,” “adds a great deal of complexity” to the process of reviewing extensions for approval. Cryptojackers rely on the clandestine insertion of malicious malware into scripts, allowing them to mine…