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You need to delete this Chrome extension now

You need to delete this Chrome extension now
Patrick Devaney

Patrick Devaney

  • Updated:

The app and plugin Internet Download Manager is a well-respected program that allows users to grab and download pretty much any file from the internet. Unfortunately, a concerned user has raised the alarm about a fake version of the plugin that has been available on the Chrome Web Store since June 2019, and maybe even longer. Here is what you need to know.

Google Chrome Download Now

The fake Internet Download Manager Chrome extension has been downloaded by over 200,000 users since it launched on the Chrome Web Store. If you have mistakenly downloaded it onto your version of Chrome you should delete it now.

The fake plugin does offer some sort of download management functionality, which is probably why it is still active on so many machines. However, it also performs other unwanted actions such as loading up spammy websites without any sort of prompting, changing the browser’s default search engine, pushing lots of pop-up ads and even prompting users to download patches for programs that they don’t have installed on their computer.

The fake plugin has been published by a company called Puupnewsapp, so you need to look out for that developer and make sure you do not download and install their version of the plugin. You can also see an image of the plugin’s icon above.

The real Internet Download Manager plugin relates to the app we mentioned earlier and is published by software company, Tonec. In fact, the plugin only references the title and so doesn’t even have Internet Download Manager in its name. Instead, it is called IDM Integration Module and there are official plugins for both Chrome and Firefox.

This story clearly underscores the need to be more careful than ever when working online. You need to be completely sure that you can trust all links you click on files you download otherwise you can end up in a world of pain. A prime example of just how bad things can get if you don’t pay attention is this fake job offer hack that ended up costing a company $620 million.

Image via: BleepingComputer

Patrick Devaney

Patrick Devaney

Patrick Devaney is a news reporter for Softonic, keeping readers up to date on everything affecting their favorite apps and programs. His beat includes social media apps and sites like Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Twitter, YouTube, and Snapchat. Patrick also covers antivirus and security issues, web browsers, the full Google suite of apps and programs, and operating systems like Windows, iOS, and Android.

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