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Superfish Injects Ads In 1 In 25 Google Page Views

An anonymous reader writes: A new report from Google has found that more than 5% of unique daily IP addresses accessing Google — tens of millions — are interrupted by ad-injection techniques, and that Superfish, responsible for a major controversy with Lenovo in February is the leading adware behind what is clearly now an industry. Amongst the report's recommendations to address the problem is the suggestion that browser makers "harden their environments against side-loading extensions or modifying the browser environment without user consent." Some of the most popular extensions for Chrome and Firefox, including ad-blockers, depend on this functionality.

5 of 91 comments (clear)

  1. Re: No control is the real issue by cstec · · Score: 2, Informative

    I have no idea. It looked a lot like the previous story on the screen!

    Shouldn't have used the words "no control"

  2. Math check by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Since when is 5% the same as 1 in 25??

    1. Re:Math check by dotancohen · · Score: 4, Informative
      5% are affected, Superfish is responsible for 80% of those affected, i.e. 4% total. Here is a restatement of the fine summary, with some noncritical interjections removed (and TFS was missing a comma anyway):

      5% of IP addresses accessing Google are interrupted by ad-injection techniques, and Superfish is the leading adware

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      It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
  3. Just don't allow all JavaScripts. by Futurepower(R) · · Score: 4, Informative

    Just allow JavaScript on the main URL.

  4. Re:To save the internet from fake ads by swillden · · Score: 3, Informative

    Google sez we must remove ad blocker functionality!

    I smell an ulterior motive..

    Reading comprehension fail. The summary says:

    Amongst the report's recommendations to address the problem is the suggestion that browser makers "harden their environments against side-loading extensions or modifying the browser environment without user consent." Some of the most popular extensions for Chrome and Firefox, including ad-blockers, depend on this functionality.

    I'd expect that most users who install ad blockers consent to having it modifying the browser environment.

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