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posted by janrinok on Wednesday October 21 2015, @02:25AM   Printer-friendly
from the not-so-subtle dept.

Security researchers have discovered a fiendish form of browser malware that stands in for your copy of Google Chrome and hopes you won't notice the difference.

As reported by PCRisk, the "eFast Browser" works by installing and running itself in place of Chrome. It's based on Google's Chromium open-source software, so it maintains the look and feel of Chrome at first glance, but its behavior is much worse.

First, makes itself the default and takes over several system file associations, including HTML, JPG, PDF, and GIF, according to MalwareBytes. It also hijacks URL associations such as HTTP, HTTPS, and MAILTO, and replaces any Chrome desktop website shortcuts with its own versions. Essentially, eFast Browser makes sure to open itself at any opportunity.

During use, eFast Browser constantly displays pop-up and search ads on top of the page you're visiting. Some of these ads lead to ecommerce sites, while others redirect to potentially malicious webpages, where there's a risk of installing more adware or malware. PCRisk also warns that the browser collects browsing information that could be personally identifiable. It's unclear if eFast Browser adheres to any sort of privacy policy. (The company behind eFast Browser, Clara Labs, has its own privacy policy, though trying to load this page in Chrome brings up a malware warning.)


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  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by anubi on Wednesday October 21 2015, @04:23AM

    by anubi (2828) on Wednesday October 21 2015, @04:23AM (#252604) Journal

    Trying to teach computer security to monied people seems a lot like trying to keep a moth out of a flame. It has the wings to carry it in, and it seems determined to fly right into the fire. I have similar problems trying to keep my cats in my own backyard, as I know coyotes are nearby. Ask any dad of a teenaged girl that is slutting around and is not yet aware of the ramifications of an unplanned pregnancy. Or about his teenaged son that has yet to experience a car accident.

    In the case of monied people, I was sure hoping if enough of them got the lesson, they would use their remaining resources to help clean up the messes their previous behaviours have paid for. We really need to, in the worst way, unite and tell "the webmasters" that if they cannot code simple verifiable pages that run on trusted browsers, we will not even see their content.

    I for one am really fed up with incessant changes in my browser delivered behind my back as an "update to deliver a richer presentation experience", which seems to be businessspeak for "keeping you from blocking our ads." and "opening up yet more ways for me to control your computer behind your back" or " having your computer report back to me what you are doing". I note a lot of effort is being spent to keep breaking streaming downloaders. This crap is getting like my going to the grocery store to buy some salt, only to have the store manager to assign some of his minions to follow me home, stay in my house, and make sure I do not transfer the salt to a shaker the store did not sell me. While they are in my house, they also get access to my bank statements and everything else in my house and send it back to the store manager and whatever other friends the store manager has arranged. All while I am paying for the electricity to feed them.

    But there is always some faction out there requiring their "special viewer" or "enabled browser" to view their porn, comply with healthcare law, or whatever... and we obedient sheeple always seem to comply because the computer told us to "simply click here". And we willingly invite all sorts of grief into our lives. Sometimes for as little as a song.

    --
    "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
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  • (Score: 2) by Hyperturtle on Thursday October 22 2015, @12:35AM

    by Hyperturtle (2824) on Thursday October 22 2015, @12:35AM (#253010)

    People laugh at me for using an old browser or phone or whatever. I must be so stupid I can't even cheat if I am so uncool as to use a blackberry. How do I play games on it when bored? I must be too poor to upgrade every year, or too dumb to just not pay an extra $20 forever to ensure I get a new phone when they come out!

    It is culturally acceptable and even desirable to reach that level of thought, to display a wealth of ignorance.

    It is heroic for many to display wealth and stupidity, because it means they got to be better than you without trying hard. It is a very high sign of status to display wealth stupidly, and be so wealthy as to not care because someone else can clean up after you. It exists in businesses and in day care centers--there will always be a class divide even among those that are not yet rich. They'll want to be different so as to be envied and better. Being stupid and powerful is among the best ways, because even smart people resent it while the dumb envy it. No one is indifferent to the stupid boor with too much money to spend.

    Free software is a little different; the cool people got their updates first. Or were invited, weren't you invited? You didn't get the update? loser. I dont know what it does but it has a new icon!