The Nigerian Communications Commission’s Computer Security Incident Response Team (NCC-CSIRT) has identified five malicious Google chrome extensions that surreptitiously track online browser’s activities and steal their data.
According to a statement issued yesterday by the NCC’s director of public affairs, Reuben Mouka, 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 said the five google chrome extensions identified have a high probability and damage potential and have been downloaded more than 1.4 million times and serve 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 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,” the advisory said.
