Google Chrome Remove Extensions Believed to Be Loaded With Spyware

Google Chrome is undoubtedly the most popular browser used by not millions but billions of individuals around the world. It is a very fast browser packed with interesting features. One can judge its popularity by the fact that users download and install it in their devices where Chrome is not provided as a default browser. Users freely added browser extensions to their Chrome having blind faith on its security features. These millions of individuals have received a rude jolt by a recent news report about a spyware ring associated with Google Chrome. Google Chrome support has reacted to the development and taken down many such extensions.

‘Awake Security’ researchers have busted a ring of hackers that created extensions for Google Chrome loaded with spyware. This organized crime was going on for a very long time with the ringmasters easily distributing spyware through distribution of seemingly innocuous browser extensions. No one knows for sure how much damage has been caused because of such spyware but the fact remains that the victims downloaded these Chrome extensions for more than 32 million times. After these researchers raise the red flag about these spyware loaded extensions last month, the search engine giant came into action. Google Chrome tech support has responded by taking down nearly 70 extensions from its Chrome web store.

Researchers who found out about the malicious activities of these extensions said that nearly all such extensions were distributed free of cost by the hackers. They were apparently useful extensions for the users that pretended to be very safe by raising alarm whenever the user tried to visit a harmful website. However, once the extensions were downloaded and installed, they indulged in nefarious activities without the knowledge and permission of the users. These programs contained spyware to keep a close watch on the browsing history of the user. They also looked for private and sensitive details of the users stored inside the computer. What is surprising is the fact that these extensions were connected to a network of nearly 15000 websites and they could transmit sensitive details about the user. These malicious domains were purchased from Galcomm, a communication company backed by Israel. The company has denied any role in this spyware campaign.

It is going to be an uphill task for Google Chrome to track down the identities of developers who made these extensions. This is because these extensions were submitted to Chrome Web store with fake identities. In any case, Google Chrome is no interested in unearthing the kingpin behind this spyware racket as its own reputation as a highly secure browser comes under fire. It is really embarrassing for Google Chrome because the company had claimed to have ramped up security way back in 2018.

Comments

Facebook Rechristened as Meta

Facebook has been a pioneer and also one of the leading social media platforms. Mark Zuckerberg recently surprised the world by announcing that Facebook will now be called Meta. Social media experts are speculating as to what the motive behind this change of name could be. People all over the world have searched about Metaverse in the last few days and it has become one of the most popular search terms. Facebook lovers are wondering why their favorite social media platform is being forced to change its name. They are busy making wild guesses. Many are trying to find out what Meta means and what does it stand for in the context of social media. If one looks up for the word Meta on Oxford dictionary, he finds that it means transformation or change. Another meaning given in the dictionary is beyond, at a higher level, or above. If one goes by the version of the company, it is clear that it equates Meta with beyond. But it is clear that Facebook is seeking some kind of a metamorphos...

Visa and Quickbooks Enable Fast Access to Money for Business Owners

A vast majority of small and medium scale business owners are seen lamenting about the slow speed of money processing. They say that the time it takes for the money to be processed and show in their bank accounts is too long after a customer has made the payment. Slow money processing has an adverse impact on the cash flow of the business. Quickbooks support has now made a difference to this situation by giving a faster, almost real time access to cash to the business owner after receiving payment from a customer. The new feature introduced by Quickbooks is called Instant Deposit and it makes available cash instantly to the business owner almost at the same time when a payment has been made by a customer. These business owners can access this money using their Visa debit cards to improve their cash flow situation. To be able to use this facility, all that Quickbooks users have to do is to integrate Visa Direct capabilities into the new feature announced by the company...

Malwarebytes Premium Support: Multiple Layers of Protection

In times not so long ago, antivirus products were of a simple nature and they provided protection to the system against viruses of all kinds. In those days, viruses were easy to be detected. Today, there are multiple threats that take on different forms like ransomware, malware, rootkits, Trojans, and so on, making it difficult for any antivirus to identify and destroy all these threats. Malwarebytes Premium 4.0 carries out behavior based analysis in addition to providing other layers of protection to the user. Malwarebytes premium support costs just $39.99 per annum and by paying $79.99, you can get this support on up to 5 of your devices. The dashboard tells you that your system is protected when everything is all right. It also tells you the details of the last scan. On the right side of the dashboard are the toggles that work as controls for 4 layered security provided by the program. If you click on the scan button on the middle panel, Malwarebytes Premium 4 begins a sc...

The Game Theorists

Search This Blog