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Entering Keyword “Download Chrome” in Google Search may Produce Malware

Security investigators at Websense are cautioning Web-surfers that doing an online search for the keyword "download Google Chrome," may lead to URLs serving malicious software. Help Net Security published this dated January 25, 2012.

Notably, during 2008, there had been registration of the URL named chromeplugins.com suggesting that the site, a casual forum for Google Chrome plugin, represents a lawful site. Also, the details of the registration appear as suggesting that they were genuine information. Yet, this suggestion doesn't wholly prove that somebody hijacked the website, although it does serve the purpose of circumstantial evidence.

Again, with regard to the websites that end-users search for, since these represent a lawful, unauthorized forum for Google Chrome plugin that downloads material from dual malevolent sites, investigators are certain that the former websites have been hijacked.

Disturbingly, hackers modified at least one of the sites' web-pages for diverting surfers onto 2 malevolent sites injected with a JavaScript as well as an iFrame. These sites include a typo-squatted URL for Google AdSense and another situated at best-videogames.com. While the first site clearly isn't Google owned, the second site remains unresolved as of now.

The actual server supporting Google for show_ads.js has been observed as pagead2.googlesyndication.com where within the word "syndication," the alphabet "l" has been replaced with "i."

The Web-surfers mechanically get diverted onto the dual sites. Albeit the investigators don't specify what malware the sites really harbor, it is most expectedly advertisements. Nonetheless, if scammers make quick changes, they maybe distributing attack codes as also hijacking the end-users' PCs, the latter being unaware.

And as it's most undesirable to have cyber-criminals hijack lawful websites, users must forever remain watchful about malevolent sites as also maintain up-to-date security software on their computers.

Meanwhile, Chrome getting attacked in the manner mentioned isn't new. During April 2011, an attack against Google Chrome gave many fine web-links on Google search results' first page; however the 6th web-link happened to be booby-trapped. Following that web-link produced a recommendation by Google Chrome for users to load appropriate application, with the message having a horrible grammatical error like "download the malicious software."

Related article: Enterprising Hackers Commercialize Their Activities

» SPAMfighter News - 1/31/2012

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