Home Malware Programs Browser Hijackers ‘Urgent Chrome Update’ Pop-Ups

‘Urgent Chrome Update’ Pop-Ups

Posted: July 20, 2016

The 'Urgent Chrome Update' pop-ups are attacks that may install unwanted or harmful software automatically. Malware analysts have isolated the current triggering mechanisms for the 'Urgent Chrome Update' pop-ups to advertising networks, previously installed extensions, and similar vectors that could load their attacks while you browse a normally-safe website. Keeping all contact with these threats to a minimum until you can remove the 'Urgent Chrome Update' pop-ups with your security software always is the safest reaction to attack.

The Hidden Results of an Unnecessary Update

Even while browser-based vulnerabilities continue being key infiltration points for many threat campaigns, PC users are subjected to other campaigns seeking to install fake 'updates' for browsers like Chrome and Firefox simultaneously. In some attacks, such as the 'Urgent Chrome Update' pop-ups, these incidents are one and the same thing. This faux update campaign also may incorporate a degree of software vulnerability exploitation to achieve its goal of downloading and installing threats.

This campaign also has multiple aspects in common with 'Urgent Firefox Update' Pop-Ups, making it possible that its administrators tailor the pop-up attack to the type of Web browser under attack. Like the previous threat, the 'Urgent Chrome Update' pop-ups also load through methods that compromise non-hostile sites, such as Amazon, Facebook and Reddit, making it more likely that the computer user will trust the update request. The 'Urgent Chrome Update' pop-ups use currently unidentified exploits for launching attacks that deposit a chrome_update.bat file on the computer user's hard drive automatically.

Although malware experts haven't finished acquiring full samples of this file or its contents, past attacks suggest that the 'Urgent Chrome Update' pop-ups are installing advertising software or Trojans with data-encoding capabilities (AKA file encryptors). Due to their propensity for holding data hostage for ransom fees, the latter are the most important security risk, although even adware can put your PC into contact with other threats past this article's subject matter.

Keeping the Shine on Chrome without the Gleam of Malware Attacks

While any seasoned Web surfer should be aware that Web browsers don't use standard pop-up windows as self-updating mechanisms, the 'Urgent Chrome Update' pop-ups take particular advantage of the inherent trust given to Web domains with high publicity and traffic. Any individual websites with compromised advertisements can be advertisement-blocked until they disinfect their third-party content. If you see the 'Urgent Chrome Update' pop-ups on more than one site, your PC most likely already is compromised by unsafe software.

Dealing with worst case incidents of the 'Urgent Chrome Update' pop-ups should include closing your browser and taking other steps typical to restricting the impact of threatening software, such as restarting your OS in Safe Mode temporarily. Scan your PC with anti-malware products of your personal preference, restart your computer, continue scanning, and repeat these steps until no new detections occur. Malware experts also would suggest removing all recent, temporary files related to your Web-browsing history, such as cookies, that could have any degree of involvement with loading the 'Urgent Chrome Update' pop-ups.

Updating your software continues being a double-edged sword for both threat authors and their intended targets. Although using outdated software puts your system at risk for succumbing to a variety of attacks, accepting updates from risky origins like the 'Urgent Chrome Update' pop-ups can be just as threatening for any PC.

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