If you’ve installed any of these Chrome and Edge extensions, remove them as soon as possible

According to Avast, the 28 malicious extensions found, created for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, could “redirect user traffic to ads or phishing sites and steal people’s personal data, such as birth data, email addresses and active devices’. These extensions have made their way onto devices, presenting themselves as video downloaders for sites such as Instagram, Vimeo and others.

The fake extensions clearly worked, as Avast suspects that over 3 million people are affected by malware. These 3 million people have probably made quite a lot of money from attackers, because Avast believes that this is the purpose of malware. Browser redirects display ads, which generate profits for anyone behind the malware curtain. Moreover, these extensions could be in operation from 2018, although Avast only caught them in November this year. Jan Rubín, a malware researcher at Avast, also reports that malware embedded in extensions is “well hidden, and extensions begin to behave maliciously only a few days after installation, making it difficult to detect security software ”.

As it stands, malicious extensions are still available for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge extension stores, but they have been reported and researched by each company. If you have installed one of the extensions listed above, it is recommended that you simply uninstall the extensions until further notice is given by Avast, Google or Microsoft. Perhaps downloading browser extensions willingly or unwillingly is not a great idea, as it can easily compromise your device.