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Millions of Chrome Users Have Installed Malware Posing as Ad Blockers (vice.com)
Kaleigh Rogers, writing for Motherboard: Andrey Meshkov, the cofounder of ad-blocker AdGuard, recently got curious about the number of knock-off ad blocking extensions available for Google's popular browser Chrome. These extensions were deliberately styled to look like legitimate, well-known ad blockers, but Meshkov wondered why they existed at all, so he downloaded one and took a look at the code. "Basically I downloaded it and checked what requests the extension was making," Meshkov told me over the phone. "Some strange requests caught my attention."
Meshkov discovered that the AdRemover extension for Chrome -- which had over 10 million users -- had code hidden inside an image that was loaded from the remote command server, giving the extension creator the ability to change its functions without updating. This alone is against Google's policy, and after Meshkov wrote about a few examples on AdGuard's blog, many of which had millions of downloads, Chrome removed the extensions from the store. I reached out to Google, and a spokesperson confirmed that these extensions had been removed.
Meshkov discovered that the AdRemover extension for Chrome -- which had over 10 million users -- had code hidden inside an image that was loaded from the remote command server, giving the extension creator the ability to change its functions without updating. This alone is against Google's policy, and after Meshkov wrote about a few examples on AdGuard's blog, many of which had millions of downloads, Chrome removed the extensions from the store. I reached out to Google, and a spokesperson confirmed that these extensions had been removed.
You'd think Google would get the picture and provide some sort of built-in ad management/protection in Chrome.
An advertising company blocking competing ads would likely attract plenty of attention from anti-trust authorities.
This has been in my Sig for years now.
Laws of computer stupidity
1) 99% of computer users do not know what they are doing.
2) Computer users do not read.
3) If a computer user can click on it, they will. If they need to click on it, they won't
4) You can patch software, but you can't (legally) patch stupid.
And It will still be relevant decades from now, Especially since I can do a search for adblock plus right now on the chrome web store and pick out 20+ fake apps in 5 seconds.
In Soviet Russia, Trojan exploits YOU!
This kind of corporate jargon gets right up my nose. She didn't reach out to google, she contacted them. Reached out is such an over emotively laden phrase for "Emailed" or "Phoned" or "Visited reception and was escorted out the building".
Stop using it!