Security News > 2022 > August > Malicious Browser Extensions Targeted Over a Million Users So Far This Year

More than 1.31 million users attempted to install malicious or unwanted web browser extensions at least once, new findings from cybersecurity firm Kaspersky show.

"From January 2020 to June 2022, more than 4.3 million unique users were attacked by adware hiding in browser extensions, which is approximately 70% of all users affected by malicious and unwanted add-ons," the company said.

In comparison, the number of such users peaked in 2020 at 3,660,236, followed by 1,823,263 unique users in 2021.

Over one million users are said to have encountered adware in H1 2022 alone, with WebSearch and AddScript targeting 876,924 and 156,698 unique users.

The findings come a little over a month after Zimperiumm disclosed a malware family called ABCsoup that masquerades as a Google Translate extension as part of an adware campaign targeting Russian users of Google Chrome, Opera, and Mozilla Firefox browsers.

To keep the web browser free of infections, it's recommended that users stick to trusted sources for downloading software, review extension permissions, and periodically review and uninstall add-ons that "You no longer use or that you do not recognize."

News URL

https://thehackernews.com/2022/08/malicious-browser-extensions-targeted.html