Microsoft is facing serious problem with fake extensions of the Edge browser hosted on the company's store.
After removal of many fake and dangerous extensions last week, Microsoft had to remove a fake extension again. Last week, it became known that several fake extensions had been removed by Microsoft. They were built to look like extensions from legitimate services (uBlock Origin, NordVPN VPN services, Adguard VPN and TunnelBear VPN and many other regular browser extensions).
Many companies and developers have not developed extensions for Microsoft Edge or have not moved their existing extensions to the Microsoft Store. The fake extensions were created and uploaded by third-party developers. They all used the names of popular products, most likely to get Microsoft Edge users to install them unchecked. These extensions redirect searches performed in the browser to OKSearch.
The developers of Windscribe (a popular VPN application) revealed yesterday that their service was also targeted. A fake Windscribe extension was uploaded to the Microsoft Store, and like many others, it was accepted by Microsoft.
Someone uploaded a modified one version of the extension and the company approved it without any review, or if there was a review it was not sufficient. The extension does not appear to contain any malware at first glance, however it is a good idea to change your Windscribe password if you are using the extension.
Microsoft, meanwhile, has labeled the fake extension malicious. As a result, the extension is no longer available and users who have it installed will see it as disabled.
Η real Windscribe extension is still waiting in the queue for review by Microsoft.
Microsoft's audit process did not detect any fake extensions released in the company's store in the last two weeks. It seems that the company should change the control process, and even immediately.
