If you are a Google Chrome user you need to be a bit careful before clicking on any of unknown links. Several security experts have warned users of a fake Google Chrome error message. Informing about the same, a blog post by Trend Micro stated, “Google Chrome users who use the browser regularly should be wary of a new attack campaign that distributes malware by posing as a Google Chrome update error message. The attack campaign has been operational since February 2023 and has a large impact area.” Another report by NTT Security has also informed of the same.

How this malware works

The malware attacks the users when they visit a legitimate or compromised website that has been infected with a malicious code, including code relating to adult sites, blogs, news sites, and online stores. As a person visits these websites, a fake Google Chrome error message will pop up asking to download an update to fix a supposed security issue.

According to the blog post, in the name of the update, what will really be downloaded is a ZIP file that has an EXE file inside. This EXE file contains a Monero miner that will use the user’s computer’s processing power to mine cryptocurrency for the attackers.

According to a report by The Sun, the prompt message reads “An error occurred in Chrome automatic update. Please install the update package manually later, or wait for the next automatic update.”

It can be known that mining crypto needs a huge amount of power, which might increase your energy bills. Notably, if you become a victim to this malware, your computer may slow down and become unresponsive. The downloaded malware also has the potential to acquire sensitive information such as log-in credentials and financial data from your computer. Most importantly, your device will be vulnerable to further malware attacks.

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