20 Million People Download Fake Ad Blockers, Containing Malicious Code on Google Chrome

This article examines 20 Million People Download Fake Ad Blockers, Containing Malicious Code on Google Chrome. It presents the main facts, practical implications, and key points in a clearer, easier-to-follow format.

Understanding 20 Million People Download Fake Ad Blockers

Many people feel uncomfortable with the ads that appear when surfing the web, so they have installed an ad blocking program. However, due to lack of knowledge, there have been more than 20 million people "trapping" fake ad blocking programs on Google Chrome containing malicious code without knowing it.

5 extensions that faked an ad blocking program on Chrome Store were discovered by AdGuard research team. They copy the source code from the original utility, then add malicious code to do bad purposes.

• AdRemover for Google Chrome TM (more than 10 million installations).
• uBlock Plus (more than 8 million installations).
• [Fake] Adblock Pro (more than two million installs).
• HD for YouTube TM (over 400,000 installs).
• Webutation (more than 30,000 installations).

And before Google removed these programs, more than 20 million people downloaded and installed them.

To attract and gain the trust of users, these fake utilities have used tricks (spam keywords in the description) to be in the first place in the search results.

Shortly after receiving AdGuard's report, Google removed these unique extensions from its app market.

According to AdGuard's warning, users should protect themselves by checking the author's name and making sure it is developed by a trusted company.

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