Massive Spying On Users Of Google's Chrome by Extensions
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Massive Spying On Users Of Google's Chrome Shows New Security Weakness
- https://www.theregister.com/2020/06/18/chrome_browser_extensions_new_rootkit/
- https://www.zdnet.com/article/google-removes-106-chrome-extensions-for-collecting-sensitive-user-data/
- https://www.reuters.com/article/us-alphabet-google-chrome-exclusive/exclusive-massive-spying-on-users-of-googles-chrome-shows-new-security-weakness-idUSKBN23P0JO
modedit changed title to be more accurate
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@Dr-Flay This isn't really "Spying On Users Of Google's Chrome". It's "spying on users of chrome who installed malware extensions".
But to be sure, Google takes some of the blame for not spotting this during their, what I am sure is totally rigorous, extension approval process.
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Having to use extensions from the Chrome Store is always a risk, it should never be done without checking the origin of the extension.If it isn't specified in the Store description, look for another one, or directly download the crx files from GitHub
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@LonM Their extension approval process is anything but rigourous.
Mozilla are better in that regard. -
@Priest72 I have had experience with it.
From what I have seen it is mostly there to cover their backs legally (make sure extensions have a privacy policy, don't contain anything obviously illegal), and anything else is fair game.
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@LonM , Google has already shown in the past, that in its Stores it is more interested in keeping its back legally and making life little by little impossible for ad and trackerblocker, thinking about the business, far less in the security and privacy of the user.
It is not the first hijacker or other malware given away with a Store extension and it will not be the last. Google only removes them after several reports from users, not by their own control.
This is why I use extensions from GitHub and apps from F-Droid on Android as much as possible. -
I don't like the company and i especially don't like their so called super chrome browser,why it is the most used browser is a mystery.
I unfortunately tried chrome very briefly when i was using a windows operating system and the web store was a pit of advertisements all built into the extensions.
Mozilla wipes the floor with google in terms of themes and extensions.
Please understand i am not here to tout firefox but firefox is a better browser than chrome will ever be.I have found a better browser in vivaldi but i find it annoying that people praise chrome so much.
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@Priest72 , Chrome is technically a good browser, but it is also a spyware from Google and I disqualify it for this and it bothers me greatly that Vivaldi necessarily has so many dependencies through Chromium and having the Chrome Store as a repository, instead of having its own with extensions selected by the community and from GitHub.
It's like owning a BMW and having to look for parts and supplements at a Mercedes dealer -
I have many friends that work in Education and Medicine. They are 'forced' to use chrome as their employers have moved to a google (email, docs, sheets, etc) environment.
Those I know will only use the computers at their workplaces and shun it while at home.
With the addition of more and more institutions and companies going to the cloud and choosing google as their provider, I see this trend only increasing in the future. -
@LonM
I actually quoted the headline from the news item it appeared in.
(It is good form to ask someone to correct or change an element in a post)Yeah the headline without the links would be misleading.
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