Google has identified and pulled the following fake ad blockers from the Chrome Web Store: AdRemover, uBlock Plus, Adblock Pro, HD for YouTube and Webutation. These ad blockers have been downloaded in excess of 20 million times. The extensions have been disabled on Chrome instances on which they were installed. However, if you installed one of the malicious ad blockers, it is recommended that you remove it. To do so, please take the following steps:
- Open Google Chrome and click on the three vertical dots to the right of the browser address bar, and go to More Tools, Extensions.
- Locate the extension you wish to remove, and click Remove in the bottom left of the extension dialog.
Ad Blockers have become very popular way to remove or manage advertising content on a website, web page or mobile app. Cloning legitimate software and adding malicious features have become common tactics of cyber criminals. In this instance, bad code was hidden in the jQuery library of javascript. Infected browsers formed a browser botnet, and could be forced to do whatever the command center server ordered.
For additional information, please see:
- https://www.zdnet.com/article/google-cuts-fake-ad-blockers-from-chrome-store-were-you-among-20-million-fooled/
- https://www.komando.com/happening-now/455166/google-pulls-fake-ad-blockers-were-you-one-of-the-20-million-fooled?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=alerts&utm_content=2018-04-20-article-a
- http://www.newsweek.com/google-chrome-fake-ad-blockers-installed-20-million-users-how-check-if-you-892929