The Nigerian Communications Commission’s Computer Security Incident Response Team (NCC-CSIRT) on Friday stated that it had identified five malicious Google Chrome Extensions that surreptitiously track online browser’s activities and steal their data.
According to NCC-CSIRT, the five malicious extensions which the McAfee Mobile Research Team earlier discovered are Netflix Party with 800,000 downloads, Netflix Party 2 with 300,000 downloads, Full Page Screenshot Capture Screenshotting with 200,000 downloads, FlipShope Price Tracker Extension with 80,000 downloads, and AutoBuy Flash Sales with 20,000 downloads.
The NCC-CSIRT stated the five google chrome extensions identified had a high probability and damage potential and had been downloaded more than 1.4 million times and served as access to steal users’ data. The telecom sector-focused cybersecurity protection team alerted telecom consumers to be cautious when installing any browser extension.
The advisory stated: “The users of these chrome extensions are unaware of their invasive functionality and privacy risk. Malicious extensions monitor victims’ visits to e-commerce websites and modify the visitor’s cookie to appear as if they came through a referrer link. Consequently, the extensions’ developers get an affiliate fee for any purchases at electronic shops.”
In addition, the advisory indicated that although the Google team removed several browser extensions from its Chrome Web Store, keeping malicious extensions out may be difficult.
The NCC-CSIRT, therefore, recommended that telecom consumers should be cautious when installing any browser extension.
The advisory further clarified: “These include removing all listed extensions from their chrome browser manually. Internet users are to pay close attention to the promptings from their browser extensions, such as the permission to run on any website visited and the data requested before installing it. Although, some extensions are seemingly legit, due to the high number of user downloads, these hazardous add-ons make it imperative for users to ascertain the authenticity of extensions they access.”
Google Chrome extensions are software programmes that can be installed into Chrome in order to change the browser’s functionality.
This includes adding new features to Chrome or modifying the existing behavior of the program itself to make it more convenient for the user. They serve purposes such as block ads, integration with password managers and sourcing coupons as items sent to a shopping cart.
The Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) is the telecom sector’s cyber security incidence centre set up by the NCC to focus on incidents in the telecom sector and as they may affect telecom consumers and citizens at large.
