Skip to main content

20 million Chrome users are fooled into downloading fake ad blockers

Google removed a number of fake ad blockers from its Chrome store after an AdGuard researcher discovered that these extensions concealed malicious scripts. The code hidden within these fake ad blocking extensions was used to collect information about a user’s browsing session and to change the browser’s behavior.

Some of these extensions were popular, with one fake ad blocker garnering as many as 10 million downloads. Even the least popular extension, Webutation, had 30,000 downloads.

Recommended Videos

These malicious ad-blocking extensions merely copied the legitimate ad blocking code from real ad blockers and added its own harmful one.

“All the extensions I’ve highlighted are simple rip-offs with a few lines of code and some analytics code added by the ‘authors,’” AdGuard’s Andrew Meshkov wrote. “Instead of using tricky names they now spam keywords in the extension description trying to make to the top search results.”

Given that most casual users don’t really pay attention to the name of an extension as long as it was somewhere near the top of their search results, it’s easy to deceive a large number of Chrome users to download fake ad blockers. Combined, all five of the flagged — and now removed — ad blockers generated 20 million downloads, according to AdGuard.

“Basically, this is a botnet composed of browsers infected with the fake adblock extensions. The browser will do whatever the command center server owner orders it to do,” he wrote.

The malicious code sends the data it collects, including your browsing information, to a remote server. The server then sends a command to an extension that is concealed inside an innocent image, and the commands are executed as scripts to change the way your browser behaves.

To protect yourself, AdGuard recommends that you only download browser extensions from trusted authors and companies. If you don’t know the author, Meshkov recommends skipping the extension. Even if the extension comes from a trusted author, the software could be sold to another party in the future, which could then change the intended use or behavior of the extension.

If you’re looking for an ad block, be sure to check out our list of recommendations for some of the best ad blocking extensions.

Chuong Nguyen
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Silicon Valley-based technology reporter and Giants baseball fan who splits his time between Northern California and Southern…
How to watch the Google IO 2025 keynote
Google IO 2025 logo

Google IO 2025 takes place today, and you'll be able to watch the keynote livestream right here, via the video player above.

While IO is predominantly a developer conference, the opening keynote of the two-day event always delivers exciting news on new products and services Google has been working on.

Read more
Google IO 2025 keynote recap: how the Gemini AI fest unfolded
The stage for Google I/O 2024.

The Google IO 2025 keynote has concluded. We spent almost two hours watching the announcements made at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California and if you're looking for anything other than AI you'll be hard pressed to find something.

Yes, Google spent pretty much the entire keynote speaking about Gemini AI and a host of new AI features it's bringing to its various platforms and tools. What's good is a lot of the new announcements are rolling out today, giving us the chance to try them out - such as AI Mode in Google Search for those in the US.

Read more
Google’s new Flow tool brings AI magic to video creation
The Google Flow tool in action.

Google’s latest I/O event, which took place on Tuesday, showcased a striking expansion of AI across its growing range of products, with new generative tools like Imagen 4 for images, Veo 3 for video, and Flow for AI-driven filmmaking, taking center stage alongside a revamped AI-powered search experience and the premium Google AI Ultra subscription.

The all-new Flow editing tool enables AI-powered movie creation and -- at least at first glance -- marks a significant leap in Google's creative AI capabilities.

Read more