Summary: ADGUARD’s recent report reveals that advertising companies are using deceptive applications and browser extensions to steal private information from users, impacting over 11 million individuals. These malicious programs masquerade as legitimate ad-blocking or optimization tools, collecting sensitive data while misleading users about their privacy practices. The report underscores the ongoing struggle against these deceptive tactics and announces that Google and Firefox have removed the offending software from their stores.
Affected: Advertising companies, users of the Google App Store, Google Chrome Store, and Firefox browser extension store
Keypoints :
- Advertising companies have developed malicious applications that disguise themselves as legitimate ad-blockers or system optimization tools.
- These applications collect sensitive information, including browsing history, while misleading users about their privacy policies.
- ADGUARD found these apps using multiple developer accounts to evade detection, but Google and Firefox have since removed them from their platforms.