A Google Chrome extension hides a virus that can affect your pc: if you have installed Screenshot & Screen Capture Elite, delete it now
If you have installed Screenshot & Screen Capture Elite extension on your Chrome browser, delete it now: it is a virus. The experts at TechDows have warned that the extension behaves like a malware that places ads directly in Google search results.
Over a million users have downloaded the Chrome extension and many in the reviews complain that once it is installed on the browser, sponsored ads appear in search results, a feature that violates Google's security policies. Not even using the popular extensions that block ads you can't make those disappear. The problem, according to experts, could be even more serious: the extension is allegedly tracking the searches of users who have downloaded it.
Chrome, the malware-prone extension
The Screenshot & Screen Capture Elite extension allows you to "take a picture" of the screen in use on your computer and share it, uploading it to the web. Analyzing its "hidden" functionality, some users have noticed that uploaded screenshots allow permission to connect to an external IP and that the web activity of those who installed the extension is tracked. Many have reported that ads are appearing more and more often in search results despite the use of extensions to block advertising. On the contrary, according to the analysis, the extension is capable of altering the accuracy, quality and even the order of appearance of search results on the web.
Chrome, how the extension works
Detailing how Screenshot & Screen Capture Elite works, users have reported that the extension works in a "sneaky" way. The alteration of search results does not happen immediately, but in such a gradual way that a less careful and experienced eye might not notice the malware risk it has been exposed to. For this reason, the experts' advice is to delete the extension from your Chrome browser immediately and report it in the Chrome Web Store, so that Google is also made aware of the problem and takes measures to ensure the privacy and security of its users.