Warning: Beware of These Phony Chrome Update Popups
Fake “Update Chrome” popups are appearing again on the web and we want to warn you not to click on these popups if you see either of them. They both look legitimate and if you click on one you may be installing a RAT (Remote Access Trojan) which may allow a hacker/criminal remote access to your computer without your knowledge.
Security firm Proofpoint says…
“The fake browser update lures are effective because threat actors are using an end-user’s security training against them. In security awareness training, users are told to only accept updates or click on links from known and trusted sites, or individuals, and to verify sites are legitimate. The fake browser updates abuse this training because they compromise trusted sites and use JavaScript requests to quietly make checks in the background and overwrite the existing, website with a browser update lure. To an end user, it still appears to be the same website they were intending to visit and is now asking them to update their browser… “
Here’s what the fake Update Chrome popups look like…
Google Chrome does not use webpage popups to notify you to update
Google does not use webpage or webpage blocking popups to notify you that a Chrome update is pending. If a Chrome update is pending, Google notifies Chrome users directly from inside Chrome by showing notifications in the upper right corner.
If the update is newer it will be green. If you’ve been ignoring it for a while, it will turn red. You can update Chrome by clicking on the “Update Chrome” icon at the top right corner of Chrome. Or you can check to see if updates are available (and update if they are) by typing chrome://settings/help in the address bar and pressing Enter. You’ll either see that an update is available or if Chrome is up-to-date:
So, if you are browsing the web, and you see a popup like the ones above do not click on the popup. You can close the popup by pressing CTRL + F4.
Our mission is to help you with your computer in any way we can and to help you be safe on the web. So, please be careful, be wary, stay informed and stay safe.
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