{"id":15287,"date":"2019-02-18T15:20:39","date_gmt":"2019-02-18T09:50:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.in\/blog\/?p=15287"},"modified":"2019-11-22T15:29:03","modified_gmt":"2019-11-22T09:59:03","slug":"adware-in-chrome-extensions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.in\/blog\/adware-in-chrome-extensions\/15287\/","title":{"rendered":"Chrome extensions abuse millions with adware"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s bad enough being assaulted by ads on TV. When I switch to my computer (for any reason) and still keep seeing tons of ads, I get really annoyed. I\u2019ll bet you get annoyed too. But why does it happen?<\/p>\n

Well, one thing that\u2019ll get you ads is installing browser extension<\/a>s that are actually adware \u2014 from the time you install them or somewhere down the line. One recent example is an extremely popular Google Chrome extension called Automatic 4K\/HD for YouTube.<\/p>\n

For users who really want to get their fill, YouTube doesn\u2019t seem to be the easiest platform to deal with. Not surprisingly, demand is high for applications and browser extensions that facilitate managing its contents. Automatic 4K\/HD for YouTube, for example, got its five-star ratings and 4.2 million downloads by enabling users to select a permanent video playback quality level and preventing the YouTube platform from selecting a lower quality setting on the user\u2019s behalf, among other features.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, at some point the popular extension apparently opted to ditch its hard-won fame in favor of abusing its fan base, pestering users<\/a> with unwanted popups. Ironically, it started showing ads (and automatically opening up the page) for a Chrome extension to block ads. The advertised extension is named Adblocker for Chrome \u2013 NoAds, and it has more than 6.5 million downloads as of this writing.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/p>\n

The popup ad appeared shortly after newcomers installed Automatic 4K\/HD for YouTube, as you can see in the GIF above. Meanwhile, those for whom the extension was usable but then turned into adware say the ads appear at regular intervals, sometimes as often as once an hour.<\/p>\n

At the moment, the extension has been removed from the Chrome Web Store, so there won\u2019t be any new victims \u2014 at least, not for a while. It\u2019s likely the ban isn\u2019t permanent, though, because the current behavior is annoying but not outright malicious<\/a> \u2014 fortunately, adware doesn\u2019t corrupt your files or steal your data.<\/p>\n

Malicious or not, there is nothing good about having unwanted software on your computer. Here\u2019s what to do about it:<\/p>\n