37,000 Chrome Users Installed A Fake Adblock Plus Extension
A fake version of the Adblock Plus extension has been available in the Chrome Web Store for several days. Well, search giant Google already removed the fake extension from the web store. Users who have installed the fake Adblock Plus extension claims that the fake Adblock Plus did not block ads.
Adblock Plus is indeed one of the most
helpful Google Chrome extension that helps users to block unnecessary
ads from the web pages. If you have recently installed Adblock Plus
Google Chrome extension then you need to check if it’s all right.
A
fake version of the Adblock Plus extension has been available in the
Chrome Web Store for several days. Well, search giant Google already
removed the fake extension from the web store, but it’s estimated that
the fake version has had at least 37,000 downloads.
Well,
the fake Adblock Plus Google Chrome extension was first notified by a
Twitter user who goes by the name SwiftOnSecurity. Upon being notified,
Google promptly removed it, but the oversight was great: the extension
stayed there for quite a while and, as it accurately mimicked the actual
Adblock Plus page.
Google allows 37,000 Chrome users to be tricked with a fake extension by fraudulent developer who clones popular name and spams keywords. pic.twitter.com/ZtY5WpSgLt
— SwiftOnSecurity (@SwiftOnSecurity) October 9, 2017
Users who have installed the fake Adblock Plus extension claims that the
fake Adblock Plus did not block ads. Instead, it did exactly the
opposite: it filled the browser with lots of advertising.
This is not the first time that a fake
Adblock Plus extension is found in the Chrome Web Store. In fact, the
problem was comparatively common in 2015, when demand for ad blockers
spread exponentially.
Well, Google is working hard to prevent
fake extensions appearing in the store. It’s clear that the company
needs to upgrade its verification process to further reduce the risks of
malicious software making its entrance to the web store.
So, what do you think about this? Share your views in the comment box below.
0 Comments