If You Installed Any Of These Chrome And Edge Extensions, Remove Them ASAP
Suppose you want to block ads or find a deal on a product; thus a browser extension could come in handy. Just a simple download from the browser’s extension store, and you are ready to rock holiday deals without popups. The only catch is, just like any software you download, it can contain malicious code. In fact, researchers at the digital security company Avast found at least 28 third-party browser extensions that included malware.
According to Avast, the 28 malicious extensions found, made for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, could “redirect user’s traffic to ads or phishing sites and to steal people’s personal data, such as birth dates, email addresses, and active devices.” These extensions made their way onto devices by posing as video downloaders for sites like Instagram, Vimeo, and others.
The fake extensions clearly worked, as Avast suspects that upwards of 3 million people are affected by the malware. Those 3 million people have likely made the attackers quite a bit of money, as Avast believes that is the malware's purpose. The browser redirects show ads, which turn a profit for whoever is behind the malware curtain. Moreover, these extensions may have been in operation since 2018 though Avast only caught them in November of this year. Jan Rubín, a malware researcher at Avast, also reports that the malware embedded in the extensions is “well-hidden and the extensions only start to exhibit malicious behavior days after installation, which made it hard for any security software to discover.”
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As it stands, the malicious extensions are still up for grabs on the Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge extension stores, but they have been reported and are being investigated by each respective company. If you installed one of the extensions listed above, it is recommended to simply uninstall the extensions until further directives are given by either Avast, Google, or Microsoft. Perhaps downloading browser extensions willy-nilly is not a great idea, as it can easily compromise your device.
