#ADBLOCK PLUS EXTENSION SOFTWARE#
Nevertheless, the fraudulent software maintained a four-star rating out of five. Social media users noted that many of those who downloaded the tool gave it negative reviews that mentioned the advert-displaying tabs. Google applies automated filters to vet Chrome Web Store uploads, only examining submissions manually if they’re reported as problematic. The malicious tool’s extension ID was ‘аdвiосk-рiuѕ’, rather than ‘adblock-plus’users reported on Twitter.
Users noted that while the false extension’s publicly visible name was “AdBlock Plus”, its extension ID included non-Latin characters that differentiated it from the genuine software while maintaining a similar appearance, a technique that may have fooled Google’s filters. “Google allows 37,000 Chrome users to be tricked with a fake extension by fraudulent developer who clones popular name and spams keywords,” the researcher wrote, adding, “Legitimate developers just have to sit back and watch as Google smears them with fake extensions that steal their good name.” credit: SwiftOnSecurityĪt the time the false extension was removed about 37,000 users had installed it, SwitfOnSecurity said in a Twitter post. The fraudulent extension included negative reviews. SwiftOnSecurity said the fact that the extension was so evidently fraudulent, using the name of a well-known tool and including a list of unrelated keywords in its description to improve search results, raised questions about Google’s filtering processes for the Chrome Web Store. The malicious tool used the same name as AdBlock Plus and appeared identical, but when installed forced the browser to open new tabs that displayed ads. The anonymous researcher, who uses the pseudonym SwiftOnSecurity, said the fraudulent extension posted as AdBlock Plus, a popular browser add-on with more than 10 million users. A malicious extension posted to Google’s official Chrome Web Store that posed as a popular ad-blocking utility was installed by more than 30,000 users before Google removed it, according to a researcher.
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