Chrome Has a Malware Problem, and Google Needs to Fix It

[Paul Wagenseil]

Malware is now common in the Chrome Web Store. Unless Google does something, the Chrome browser and OS may become just as unsafe as Android.

Chrome Has a Malware Problem, and Google Needs to Fix It : Read more

 

[elfhaven13]

Thank you so much. What's really irritating is for computer illiterate people like me. I'm depending on the large corporation to do its job and when you think you are using the best it's not reassuring when the best can't seem to do the right thing. It costs money? Of course it does. When Google has the biggest part of the pie so to speak, they gave the money.
Can you tell us about Puffin? I would appreciate the particulars of that one and your thoughts good bad or ugly.

 

[mike.kane4545]

One extension that has caused me trouble is Xmarks for bookmarks, I ended up moving to Bookmark OS

 

[mdwh]

It's nonsense to suggest a person can manually do better than automated checking - by that logic, we should do away with virus checkers. It would be trivial to obscure malicious behaviour from someone reviewing it (e.g., activate after a set date or time, or based on IP address).

People don't target ios the same reason they don't target Windows Phone - hackers go for popular platforms, Windows and Android, not the three people still using an apple phone. For browsers, that's Chrome.

 

[Paul NZ]

Chrome the browser is a malware / crash magnet.

Most of the people I know have nothing but probs using it. It either crashes, or somehow their system ends up getting infected after using it

 

[SumTingW0ng]

This is why we shouldn't trust AI at all! AI is dangerous and us security experts are making the wrong choice for it.

 

[jpmonteith]

Google should definitely work to eliminate bad extensions. Google could simply have a flag on extensions for those that have been reviewed so that the end user knows they are taking a chance if they install it.

However, we should avoid overstating the problem. One example in this article is saying that kids in school would be infected. They wouldn't. The school district controls the extensions available on the systems and students cannot just install whichever ones they want.

Also, we should realistically take into account that, while it is bad - it is nowhere near the same level as getting a virus on a Windows machine that can destroy the system / data or hold your information for ransom. The problem is also tiny by comparison. Where one third of all Windows machines are believed to be infected (millions and millions of machines), the numbers here are minuscule by comparison.

That said - Google definitely needs to step up their game, if for no other reason than their reputation of keeping Chrome users safe.

 

[mystilleef]

"Is it impossible to keep malware out of an app store or an extension store? Perhaps, but Apple has come close to pulling it off — the number of known incidents involving malicious apps found in the iOS App Store over the past decade has not yet reached double digits."
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That's BS.

https://www.theiphonewiki.com/wiki/Malware_for_iOS

And that's not even a complete list.

Apple forbids and even legally threatens Security researchers from publicly disclosing what they consider to be harmful security exploits.

Not to mention, 9 out of 10 smartphones used globally are Android phones. It goes without saying, therefore, that 9 out 10 malicious software targets Android.

What's even more impressive that even though 99% of malware targets Android less than 1% successfully evades Androids built-in security.

https://qz.com/131436/contrary-to-what-youve-heard-android-is-almost-impenetrable-to-malware/

So your theory that Android is riddled with malware is backed up by old wives tales. It is objectively and factually false. But I understand you have a narrative to follow and clicks to earn.

 

[rosa.alan]

Well said MYSTILLEEF! I couldn't agree more.

 

[xrayangiodoc]

More specificity as far as which extensions are at issue would have been helpful!