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

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...

Netflix to Go Tough on Password Sharing

A lot of Netflix consumers have reported receiving a message from the company on their screens saying they need their own account to continue watching Netflix if they do not live with the account owner. The company was getting information that more than 20% of its consumers were sharing their account passwords with friends to allow them to watch Netflix illegally. Realizing this practice cost Netflix a massive amount of money, Netflix support has decided to go tough on this habit of password sharing by its customers.A spokesperson of Netflix confirmed sending such messages to customers when talking with the BBC. He added that the basic aim of the company behind sending these messages is to make sure that only authorized customers are using their accounts. The spokesperson also said that this message was not being sent to all the customers and a decision in this regard will be taken soon by the company. The problem of password sharing stems from the fact that streaming...

Google Admits to a Security Flaw Affecting 1.5 Billion of Users

Google has finally admitted to vulnerability that has security repercussions for nearly 1.5 billion of its users. This security flaw was brought to the notice of Google two years ago by researchers at Black Hills Information Security. These researchers had claimed that vulnerability in Google Calendar app was enough for hackers to allow hackers to steal information from he computers of users of Gmail around the country. It is only now that Gmail support number is acknowledging the existence of this security flaw. Google did not take any steps to fix this security flaw back in 2017 as it would have resulted in drop in functionality for the users of its Google Calendar app. This was despite the fact that these researchers demonstrated how this vulnerability could be exploited as a weapon by hackers to steal information from the computers of users of Gmail. At that time, Google said that its policy was to prevent spread of malicious content on the services offered by the ...

Neebs Gaming

Search This Blog