There is a security alert for all Windows 10 PC owners as they need to be careful about downloading Google Chrome via Microsoft Edge, as Bing is giving search results that have malware and adware.
A joke is making waves these days that the only purpose of Microsoft Edge is to download Google Chrome. However, it seems that the tables could simply turn for users who are not careful. A Tweet came out by a Twitter user Gabriel Landau who luckily did not fall victim to a fake Google Chrome download page returned by a Bing search. But, not everyone is lucky like Gabriel Landau, so he warned other users about this malware and adware.
Landau posted a video on his Twitter account in which he showed how he searched for “download chrome” on Bing through the Microsoft Edge browser. Then he clicked on the first link that appears, which is marked as from “google.com,” it leads him to what appears to be the legal and genuine Google Chrome download page.
But, when he did a closer inspection, he finds out that the URL for the page is “googleonline2018.com.” well, the page is not a precise replica of the official Google Chrome landing page, except it looks genuine enough to trick users.
Moreover, if you will click on the Download Chrome button it will start the download for ChromeSetup.exe, but if you check the file’s properties you will shock to know it is digitally signed by a company named Alpha Criteria, which is clearly not Google. And yes, most probably, this fake file contains malware.
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An investigation shows that the fake website is actually marked as a “deceptive site” by Google Chrome; however it is not flagged as such by Microsoft Edge and Bing.
On the other hand, the same Bing search query was reproduced on some systems, not all, however it was just appearing on Microsoft Edge.
In this whole scenario, the major issue seems that Bing is not checking the URL of the search result, as it is allowing what is possibly malware to be downloaded by unsuspecting users. Adding fuel to the fire, even Bleeping Computer reported in April the same advertisement, so this is a happening again and actually a frequent issue.
Although a Microsoft spokesperson claimed that fake ad has been removed from Bing, and that the account linked with the malicious content has been banned. But, there was no clarification on why the ad was marked as from “google.com,” and no guarantee that the ad will not reappear again after a few months.
So, always be extra careful about downloading anything from the internet, even if websites and links look genuine and legitimate. Since, care is better than cure.
