Researchers from North Carolina State University and the
University of Oregon have found a way to exploit cloud-based Web browsers,
using them to perform large-scale computing tasks anonymously. The finding has
potential ramifications for the security of “cloud browser” services.
At issue are cloud browsers, which create a Web interface in
the cloud so that computing is done there rather than on a user’s machine. This
is particularly useful for mobile devices, such as smartphones, which have
limited computing power.The cloud-computing paradigm pools the computational
power and storage of multiple computers, allowing shared resources for multiple
users.