August 18, 2022

Bleeping Computer: Malicious browser extensions targeted almost 7 million people

Bleeping Computer: Malicious browser extensions targeted almost 7 million people. “Almost 7 million users have attempted to install malicious browser extensions since 2020, with 70% of those extensions used as adware to target users with advertisements. The most common payloads carried by malicious web browser extensions during the first half of 2022 belonged to adware families, snooping on browsing activity and promoting affiliate links.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
December 13, 2020

ZDNet: Microsoft exposes Adrozek, malware that hijacks Chrome, Edge, and Firefox

ZDNet: Microsoft exposes Adrozek, malware that hijacks Chrome, Edge, and Firefox. “Named Adrozek, the malware has been active since at least May 2020 and reached its absolute peak in August this year when it controlled more than 30,000 browsers each day. But in a report today, the Microsoft 365 Defender Research Team believes the number of infected users is much, much higher.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
September 8, 2020

CNET: Phones for low-income users hacked before they’re turned on, research finds

CNET: Phones for low-income users hacked before they’re turned on, research finds. “Adware isn’t a problem just for [Rameez] Anwar and other users who have the same phone model, made by American Network Solutions. Because the phones and their service plans were subsidized by a US program, taxpayers were funding the data that was used to display the promotional campaigns. On top of that, the adware prevented the phones doing their intended job: keeping low-income people connected to vital services via phone and internet.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
June 11, 2020

The Next Web: Chrome will soon block ads that unnecessarily tax your CPU and battery

The Next Web: Chrome will soon block ads that unnecessarily tax your CPU and battery. “Google revealed it’s taking steps to wipe intrusive ads from its browser experience, particularly ones that consume a disproportionate amount of battery, processing power, and bandwidth without the knowledge of users. Such examples include ads with hidden cryptocurrency miners or poor network usage optimizations.”

Tweaks & Updates 0
January 14, 2020

TechCrunch: Dating and fertility apps among those snitching to “out of control” adtech, report finds

TechCrunch: Dating and fertility apps among those snitching to “out of control” adtech, report finds. “The latest report to warn that surveillance capitalism is out of control — and ‘free’ digital services can in fact be very costly to people’s privacy and rights — comes courtesy of the Norwegian Consumer Council which has published an analysis of how popular apps are sharing user data with the behavioral ad industry. It suggests smartphone users have little hope of escaping adtech’s pervasive profiling machinery — short of not using a smartphone at all.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
August 17, 2019

Trend Micro Blog: Adware Posing as 85 Photography and Gaming Apps on Google Play Installed Over 8 Million Times

Trend Micro Blog: Adware Posing as 85 Photography and Gaming Apps on Google Play Installed Over 8 Million Times. “We found another example of adware’s potential real-life impact on Google Play. Trend Micro detects this as AndroidOS_Hidenad.HRXH. It isn’t your run-of-the-mill adware family: Apart from displaying advertisements that are difficult to close, it employs unique techniques to evade detection through user behavior and time-based triggers.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
July 21, 2019

Wired: Adware Is The Malware You Should Actually Worry About

Wired: Adware Is The Malware You Should Actually Worry About. “WHEN YOU THINK of malware, it’s understandable if your mind first goes to elite hackers launching sophisticated dragnets. But unless you’re being targeted by a nation-state or advanced crime syndicate, you’re unlikely to encounter these ultra-technical threats yourself. Run-of-the-mill profit-generating malware, on the other hand, is rampant. And the type you’re most likely to encounter is adware.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
January 9, 2019

ZDNet: Google removes 85 adware apps that were installed by millions of users

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.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
October 14, 2017

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.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
July 16, 2017

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.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
March 18, 2017

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.”

Around the Search & Social Media World 0

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