Avast Discovers Malware In Chrome And Edge Extensions. Avast are the makers of popular antivirus software. Their researchers recently found a total of twenty-eight different Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge extensions laced with malware.
Worse, Avast discovers malware in Chrome extensions downloaded by more than 3 million users around the world. These extensions’ designs are to help facilitate the download of pictures and video from platforms like Spotify, Vimeo, Instagram, and Facebook.
According to the Avast researchers, the malware is JavaScript-base and displays ads or directs users to phishing sites where users’ personal information collects for later.
The Avast research team said the malware, “Users have also reported that these extensions are manipulating their Internet experience and redirecting them to other websites. Any time a user clicks on a link, the extensions send information about the click to the attacker’s control server, which can optionally send a command to redirect the victim from the real link target to a new hijacked URL before later redirecting them to the actual website they wanted to visit. User’s privacy compromises by this procedure since a log of all clicks is sending to these third-party intermediary websites.”
Back up and Purge your Activity Often
As malware goes, that’s certainly not the worst thing we’ve seen, but it is a genuine threat that puts your privacy and potentially your personal information at risk.
Suppose you rely on several browser extensions, especially those that facilitate easier and more convenient downloading of images and videos, and you use either Edge or Explorer. In that case, it pays to purge your existing collection of extensions and reinstall clean copies. Purging is especially true if you’ve been noticing aberrant behavior in your browser.
Unfortunately, many Chrome and Edge users tend to download and forget about extensions, so it may not be evident at first glance that the two (your extensions and the malware) are connected. In light of that, it pays to conduct a thorough review of your system.
