ZDNet: Google removes 85 adware apps that were installed by millions of users. “Google has removed 85 Android apps from the official Play Store that security researchers from Trend Micro deemed to contain a common strain of adware. The 85 apps had been downloaded over nine million times, and one app, in particular, named ‘Easy Universal TV Remote,’ was downloaded over five million times, according to researchers.”
adware
Washington Post: Hackers have turned Politifact’s website into a trap for your PC
Washington Post: Hackers have turned Politifact’s website into a trap for your PC . “PolitiFact has been an invaluable resource for debunking politicians’ misstatements and falsehoods. But now, it seems, some unknown actor is trying to profit off the website’s popularity — by hooking visitors’ computers into a virtual currency mining operation. The hack was discovered Friday by security researcher Troy Mursch, who noticed that visiting Politifact.com caused his computer’s CPU to run at its maximum capacity.”
Bleeping Computer: “Particle” Chrome Extension Sold to New Dev Who Immediately Turns It Into Adware
Bleeping Computer: “Particle” Chrome Extension Sold to New Dev Who Immediately Turns It Into Adware. “A company is going around buying abandoned Chrome extensions from their original developers and converting these add-ons into adware. This scheme came to light two days ago when the users of a popular Chrome extension began complaining about an update that requested two intrusive permissions that the extension never used, or would have never had a reason to.”
The Verge: Microsoft is infesting Windows 10 with annoying ads
The Verge: Microsoft is infesting Windows 10 with annoying ads. “I’ve sat back and witnessed the development of Windows 10 and appreciated the speed of new feature releases, but it seems there’s a price to pay for this new ‘Windows as a service’ world. Microsoft has gradually been infesting Windows 10 with annoying ads. The first emerged on the lock screen as ‘tips,’ and then there was the bundling of Candy Crush with the OS, and now Microsoft has started blasting notifications into the task bar and File Explorer.”
