Google Chrome users, here are the five extensions you should delete right away

Chrome extensions can enhance your browsing experience as well as productivity. They are simple programs that help add functionality or customize the Chrome browser on your desktop. These extensions make it possible to do things with your Chrome browser, and it wouldn't be possible otherwise. However, some of these Chrome extensions may also contain malware and pose serious security risks. A new security report by McAfee has discovered five extensions that contain malware.

According to the report posted on the McAfee website, these five Chrome extensions are available on the Chrome Web Store. The list, by the way, also includes an extension created by Google itself.

Dangerous Chrome Extension Names

The five add-ons as reported by McAfee include: Netflix Party, Netflix Party 2, FlipShope - Price Tracker, Full Page Screenshot Capture - Screenshot, and AutoBuy Flash Sales.

These extensions have been downloaded over 1,400,000 times. Details here:

What is the problem with these plugins?

According to a McAfee report, all five extensions have the same problem. The manifest.json file sets the background page as bg.html. This HTML file loads b0.js which is responsible for sending the page URL and injects the code into e-commerce sites.

Essentially, extensions contain malware that sends a page's URL to a remote server every time a user visits a website. This checks if the affiliate revenue code can be entered to earn revenue from purchases made by the user on e-commerce platforms. For those unaware, affiliate links are a way for websites and content creators to generate revenue as they receive a small percentage of revenue from every purchase made using the link.

McAfee also reports that some plugins use late methods of dependent link injection to prevent early detection. They usually do this 15 days after installation.

Although Google is getting rid of malware and malicious extensions from Google Chrome with the new Manifest V3 which is a much better solution compared to Manifest V2 in blocking hosted tokens remotely. However, it is not perfect.

What users should do

As we can see that these extensions have a huge install base, it is recommended that users remove these 5 extensions without further delay. While the Netflix Party extensions are removed, some are still there and some have a premium tag on them.