Ad blocking software or browser extensions are popular among tons of people to stop annoying advertisements on websites. AdBlock Plus is one of the most downloaded Ad blocking Google Chrome extension, with about100 million users. It is developed by adblockplus.org. However, someone discovered that a fake AdBlock Plus extension is up on the Chrome web store. Over 37,000 people had installed the extension on their devices.
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A Twitter user, named SwiftOnSecurity, posted a photo of the fake extension on the web store. The extension used the same name as the legit one (“AdBlock Plus”), but the developer’s name is incorrect. According to the photo, about 37,477 people downloaded this malicious extension. There is no information about what the extension would do/affect. Currently, it is no longer listed on the Chrome web store.
Google allows 37,000 Chrome users to be tricked with a fake extension by fraudulent developer who clones popular name and spams keywords. pic.twitter.com/ZtY5WpSgLt— SwiftOnSecurity (@SwiftOnSecurity) October 9, 2017
It is especially concerning for Google to allow random software/extension to get on the Chrome web store, where billions of users are relying on Google to ensure the safety of all software. Just changing/copying the name of a legitimate extension is enough for anyone to compromise Google’s security. In fact, it is not the first time similar incident happens. An attacker titled its extension as “Google Docs”, and enabled him to gain permission to access users’ Gmail and address book.
Google should immediately deal with this important security problem, stopping incidents like these to occur again in the future.
Source from The Verge.
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