37,000 Chrome Users Installed A Fake Adblock Plus Extension

A fake version of the Adblock Plus extension has been available in the Chrome Web Store for several days. Well, search giant Google already removed the fake extension from the web store. Users who have installed the fake Adblock Plus extension claims that the fake Adblock Plus did not block ads.

Adblock Plus is indeed one of the most helpful Google Chrome extension that helps users to block unnecessary ads from the web pages. If you have recently installed Adblock Plus Google Chrome extension then you need to check if it’s all right.

A fake version of the Adblock Plus extension has been available in the Chrome Web Store for several days. Well, search giant Google already removed the fake extension from the web store, but it’s estimated that the fake version has had at least 37,000 downloads.

Well, the fake Adblock Plus Google Chrome extension was first notified by a Twitter user who goes by the name SwiftOnSecurity. Upon being notified, Google promptly removed it, but the oversight was great: the extension stayed there for quite a while and, as it accurately mimicked the actual Adblock Plus page.

Users who have installed the fake Adblock Plus extension claims that the fake Adblock Plus did not block ads. Instead, it did exactly the opposite: it filled the browser with lots of advertising.

This is not the first time that a fake Adblock Plus extension is found in the Chrome Web Store. In fact, the problem was comparatively common in 2015, when demand for ad blockers spread exponentially.

Well, Google is working hard to prevent fake extensions appearing in the store. It’s clear that the company needs to upgrade its verification process to further reduce the risks of malicious software making its entrance to the web store.