Skip to content
September 20, 2026
  • Bluesky
  • Facebook
  • Linkedin
  • Mastodon
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Youtube

Daily CyberSecurity

Zero-hour alerts. Unmatched analysis.

Primary Menu
  • Home
  • CVE Data
    • CVE Watchtower
    • Top Exploited CVEs
    • CVE Stats by Vendor
    • Q2 2026 Report
    • CVE Alerts
    • CVE Alert Settings
    • Pricing
  • Cyber Criminals
  • Data Leak
  • Free Tools
    • CVSS 3.1 Calculator
    • Certificate Viewer
    • DNS Lookup
    • Encoder & Hash Generator
    • IP / Subnet Calculator
    • Whois Lookup
  • Linux
  • Malware
  • Vulnerability
  • Submit Press Release
  • Weekly Recap
Light/Dark Button
  • Home
  • News
  • Malware
  • Over 20 million Google Chrome users install malicious ad blocker extensions
  • Malware

Over 20 million Google Chrome users install malicious ad blocker extensions

Do Son April 21, 2018 2 minutes read
malicious ad blocker extensions
Add Daily CyberSecurity as a preferred source on Google

Most users will choose to install the ad blocking extension tool immediately after installing Google Chrome and Firefox browser to block ads on the webpage. However, if you directly search the Google Chrome online store for keywords such as ADBLOCK and other popular ad-blocking tools, you may be deceived. Currently, researchers have found 5 malicious adware interceptors in the browser store. The total number of download and installation of these interceptors has reached 20 million.

These ad blockers mainly evade Google’s review by modifying the script. These scripts are so common that auditors do not look closely. But in fact, these scripts have been modified and malicious code has been implanted. These malicious codes will upload the websites visited by users to the attacker’s server. In order to avoid all the remote control commands issued by the attacker being hidden in the picture, the picture itself is harmless but the malicious code can read the content. The malicious script finally loaded has the ability to allow an attacker to change the browser in any way. The attacker can also issue commands to perform remote operations at any time. Infected users form botnets for use by attackers, but no investigation has been conducted to confirm what the attackers did with botnets.

 

Being able to download 20 million times naturally cannot rely on simple camouflage. These malicious ad blockers mainly rely on popular keywords to induce users to actively install.

At the same time, users will find that they can actually block advertisements after installation because these malicious interceptors are modified based on ADBLOCK and the like.

Therefore, some of the popular Li ghost interceptors have thousands of or even tens of thousands of five-star praise, these five-star praise for later users more easily attracted and fooled.

 

  • AdRemover for Google Chrome™ (10 million+ users)
  • uBlock Plus (8 million+ users)
  • [Fake] Adblock Pro (2 million+ users)
  • HD for YouTube™ (400,000+ users)
  • Webutation (30,000+ users)

Related coverage

  • Attackers Exploit Obscure WordPress Plugin to Steal Credit Card Data
  • 400,000+ Systems Infected: DigitalPulse Proxyware Returns with New Tricks
  • GitHub Malware Campaign: SmartLoader Poses as Game Cheats to Steal Data
Track all actively exploited CVEs →

Support Our Threat Intelligence

Find our threat intelligence and malware analysis helpful? Support our work today and unlock a 100% ad-free reading experience!

Buy Me a Coffee Logo Buy Me a Coffee
Select your plan
Free Pro Team

Hover over a plan to see its benefits.

Get Zero-Hour Vulnerability Alerts

Critical CVEs, CVSS scores, and PoC updates — straight to your inbox every week.

We respect your inbox. Unsubscribe anytime.

SHARE
Share on FacebookShare on XShare on LinkedInShare on TelegramShare on BlueskyShare on Mastodon
Written by
@DdoS · Security Researcher

Do Son

Do Son is the Founder and Editor of SecurityOnline.info. Working in cybersecurity since 2013, he reports on vulnerabilities, malware, and emerging threats, providing timely analysis to help organizations and individuals stay ahead of evolving risks.

Tags: malicious ad blocker extensions

Search

Translation

CVE ALERTS
📧

Email Delivery
Get threat intel straight to your inbox.

♾️

Unlimited Vendors
Track every technology in your stack.

🚨

All New CVE Alerts
Be the first to know about new flaws.

⚙️

Custom EPSS Threshold
Filter noise, focus on real risks.

💬

Slack & Teams Webhook
Integrate directly into your SecOps.

🚫

100% Ad-Free
Enjoy an uninterrupted reading experience.

$7/mo
Subscribe Now

🚨 Active Exploits in the Wild

  • CVE-2026-58138CVSS 9.8
    Orkes Conductor 3.21.21 before 3.30.2 contains an unauthenticated remote code execution vulnerability that allows remote attackers to execute...
    Admin intel📅 Updated: Sep 20, 2026
  • CVE-2026-86124CVSS 9.8
    AutoAgent contains an unauthenticated remote code execution vulnerability in the TCP server that binds to all interfaces and...
    Admin intel📅 Updated: Sep 19, 2026
  • CVE-2025-39682CVSS 9.8
    In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tls: fix handling of zero-length records on the...
    CISA KEV📅 Added to KEV: Sep 18, 2026
  • CVE-2025-39964CVSS 7.8
    In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: crypto: af_alg - Disallow concurrent writes in af_alg_sendmsg...
    CISA KEV📅 Added to KEV: Sep 18, 2026
  • CVE-2026-53266CVSS 8.8
    In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: bridge: make ebt_snat ARP rewrite writable The...
    CISA KEV📅 Added to KEV: Sep 18, 2026
  • CVE-2026-76460CVSS 10.0
    A vulnerability in an API of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to...
    Admin intelCISA KEV📅 Added to KEV: Sep 16, 2026📅 Updated: Sep 16, 2026
  • CVE-2026-89026CVSS 9.8
    The Issabel Framework, the web framework supporting Issabel PBX software, before commit b97dbaf contains a hard-coded HS256 JWT...
    Admin intel📅 Updated: Sep 16, 2026
  • CVE-2026-58704
    In Cellular Modem, there is a possible permission bypass due to a logic error in the code. This...
    Admin intelCISA KEV📅 Added to KEV: Sep 16, 2026📅 Updated: Sep 16, 2026
Powered by CVE Watchtower

Critical Vulnerabilities

  • CVE-2026-58138CVSS 9.8
    Orkes Conductor 3.21.21 before 3.30.2 contains an unauthenticated remote code execution vulnerability that allows remote attackers to execute...
    Admin intel📅 Updated: Sep 20, 2026
  • CVE-2026-90817CVSS 9.8
    An unauthenticated Remote Code Execution vulnerability was found in the survey passthrough routing and Data Import processing logic,...
    📅 Updated: Sep 20, 2026
  • CVE-2026-94003CVSS 10.0
    A vulnerability has been found in Comfast CF-N1-S 2.6.0.1. Impacted is the function get_css_path_from_uri of the file /cgi-bin/mbox-config...
    📅 Updated: Sep 20, 2026
  • CVE-2026-94084CVSS 9.4
    Suricata before 8.0.7 has an Http2ThreadMultiBuf use-after-free when a transaction is inspected by rules that use http.response_header with...
    📅 Updated: Sep 20, 2026
  • CVE-2026-94083CVSS 9.4
    Suricata before 8.0.7 has a DoH2 type confusion that can cause an invalid free, because cleanup code for...
    📅 Updated: Sep 20, 2026
  • CVE-2026-93958CVSS 9.1
    A vulnerability was found in D-Link R95 BE9500_1.00.16. This vulnerability affects the function system of the file /bin/ssi...
    📅 Updated: Sep 20, 2026
  • CVE-2026-76672CVSS 9.9
    A vulnerability exists in the SD-WAN Orchestrator that may lead to the exposure of sensitive configuration information. An...
    📅 Updated: Sep 20, 2026
  • CVE-2026-39919CVSS 9.8
    Ghostscript before 10.08.0 contains a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in the JPEG 2000 output adapter (base/sjpx_openjpeg.c) that allows...
    📅 Updated: Sep 20, 2026
Powered by CVE Watchtower

Daily CyberSecurity

  • About SecurityOnline.info
  • Advertise with us
  • Announcement
  • Contact
  • Contributor Register
  • Login
  • Disclaimer
  • DCMA
  • Privacy Policy
  • About SecurityOnline.info
  • Advertise on SecurityOnline.info
  • Contact Us

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works

  • CVE Watchtower
  • CVE Statistics by Vendor 2026
  • Q2 2026 Report
  • Top Exploited CVEs
  • Bluesky
  • Facebook
  • Linkedin
  • Mastodon
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
© 2017 - 2026 Daily CyberSecurity. All Rights Reserved.