Fake Adblock Plus Slips Through Google's Verification Process; Consequences to 37,000 Users Not Yet Identified

By Shannon Azares, Christian Post Contributor Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Advertisements are powerful tools that bring in consumers. Placed in the right place, at the right time, ads are what keeps companies alive. However, for frequent internet users, these are considered to be one of the reasons why surfing the world wide web can be annoying. To disable ads, most people would normally download an extension on their browser that blocks it.

However, recent reports have revealed that approximately 37,000 Google Chrome users were fooled by a fake ad blocker that was offered for free.

According to reports, the extension was made to look just like the original the original Adblock Plus. It was able to go through the verification process at Google, and it went live on the official Chrome Web Store for some time before a security company brought it to the attention of the users. The fake Adblock Plus was created by a developer, who is known for cloning popular names and uses keywords to bring at the top of the search list.

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"Google allows 37,000 Chrome users to be tricked with a fake extension by a fraudulent developer who clones popular name and spams keywords," said security company SwiftOnSecurity on their Twitter account. "Legitimate developers just have to sit back and watch as Google smears them with fake extensions that steal their good name."

Further reports reveal that there is no confirmation yet on any malicious content that may have been downloaded alongside the fake Adblock Plus. Furthermore, some people who are affiliated with the original company has reminded users that the legitimate extension is the top of the list on the Chrome Web Store.

Fans were understandably concerned at Google's lack of interest in their verification process. Many hope that they can do something about the situation aside from taking down the fake Adblock Plus. In the meantime, Google Chrome users are urged to double-check what they are downloading as it can risk their security and privacy.