A fake Google Chrome extension that has been on the Chrome Web Store since at least June 2019 has been installed by over 200,000 users and is actually adware. Program added by extension – Internet Download Manager – to be legitimate BleeComputer On Wednesday (24) he condemned the malicious behavior of the software module.
According to the site, once installed, the extension starts opening links to spammy sites, changing the browser’s default search engine, bombarding the user with pop-ups asking them to download unwanted programs.
HE BleeComputer after receiving an angry comment from a reader mentioning a Chrome extension, did a research on the extension’s malicious behavior “running malicious websites by impersonating famous software”. Real Internet Download Manager is published by US software company Tonec.
What does the fake Chrome extension do to the computer?
Initially, BleeComputer The New Yorker contacted Tonec and announced that the original extension for Internet Download Manager is now available under the name: “IDM Integration Module”. In the FAQ, the developer warns: “Please note that all IDM extensions available in the Google Store are fake and should not be used”.
After the pirated IDM extension worked, the experts realized that they needed to install an executable. Website named Puupnewsapp that promises to “increase your download speed by up to 500%”, turning itself into a “supersoftware” that lets you download games, movies, music and “large files in minutes.”
Also downloaded, “Windows.zip” brings in addition to the current and signed version of the legitimate Tonec IDM, NodeJS, a JavaScript execution environment that tweaks the registry settings of Chrome and Firefox. Malware still changes search engine to redirector smartWebFindermay collect browsing data.
Source: Tec Mundo
