Chrome typically updates in the background, silently. At most, you’ll get a nudge in the three-dot menu asking you to install the latest update. If you see a pop-up or a full-screen message that interrupts your browsing, watch out, since it’s likely malware.

On Reddit, u/Spiritual_Date3457 pointed out how they were bombarded with pop-ups asking them to update Chrome. You can view an image of the pop-up below.

Immediately, this looks suspicious. The Chrome logo is off-center, and the “Update Chrome” text in the confirmation box is wrongly aligned. What gives it away completely is a message that says “For your safety, access to websites is temporarily blocked.” No browser blocks you from accessing websites just because you’re a couple of versions behind the latest.

The post on Reddit also includes another screenshot, which says “Update to keep using Chrome.” That’s another dead giveaway, because do not ask you to update merely to keep using the browser.

The final screenshot in the post also mentions “Critical update required…” which isn’t actually from Chrome either. These are phishing scams designed to trick you into downloading malware on your system.

So, how do you identify a fake pop-up? If you get a notification or prompt with alarming language and an urgent tone, it’s very likely not from Google. Things like “Critical update,” “You can’t use this unless you update,” etc are warning signs of a phishing scam. Also look out for poorly designed UI elements, inconsistent corner radii, and off-center text.

Something else to watch out for: An update to a browser rarely ever requires the installation of a separate package onto your system that you have to run and grant permissions to. In the example below, installing the so-called “update” requires Open, Allow, and Run — none of which would be needed in a real update. An actual update needs nothing more than a browser restart in most cases.

If you see a file that has a random string of text or numbers and then has “.vbs” at the end, it’s likely malware; vbs files are executable scripts that can modify system settings and files. If you get these files via email or a website, always inspect the validity and authenticity before downloading them. Antivirus software will likely flag them, but it’s always good to be cautious.

Coming to what’s causing these pop-ups of fake updates in the first place: A malicious extension that’s masquerading as a useful tool. In this case, it was the “Enable Right Click & Copy…” extension that’s right there in the Chrome Web Store.

Despite several complaints online, the extension remains available for public use and installation; it’s still under “Featured,” and has a high rating of 4.7 stars.

If you have this extension on your browser, I’d recommend removing it immediately and finding safer, more reliable alternatives. If you don’t have it… don’t install it. Funnily enough, the extension’s Privacy Policy lists that it doesn’t collect or use data. They just conveniently left out the information about attempting to get malware on the user’s systems.

It’s not just Chrome that’s affected, of course. Any browser that runs Chromium and uses the Chrome Web Store, including Brave and Opera, can be impacted by the same.

In other Chrome news, the company is improving its email verification shortcut, and Android could be next. More on that here.

The post Got a pop-up asking you to update Chrome? Watch out — it could be malware appeared first on PiunikaWeb.