Skip to main content

Avg Browser Extensions Caught Spying on User’s Behavior

 AVG antivirus free version is the most popular software used by people to safeguard their safety against online threats. Users are asked to install some browser extensions when setting up the program on their computers. Recently, Mozilla has removed some browser extensions being offered by Avast and AVG antivirus programs. This was done as there were reports that these extensions were spying on the browsing behaviors of the customers and gathering this data. AVG customer care is not confirming these reports as of now.

The extensions that have been blamed for snooping on browsing history of users are AVG SafePrice, AVG Online Security, Avast SafePrice, and Avast Online Security. If you are not aware, Online Security extension claims to protect the user by disallowing visit to a malicious website. On the other hand, SafePrice browser extension says it works to apprise the user about websites where it can get higher discounts and better deals.

It appears that both these browser extensions are working in the interests of the users. However, the extensions of both AVG and Avast were found to be spying on the browsing habits of users and collecting this data. It was revealed by an independent developer called Wladimir Palant browser extensions of both AVG and Avast were collecting more data than they were supposed to be.

This researcher found that browser extensions named above were recording things like the country code of the user, his operating system, browser name and version, frequency of visit to the URL, and time spent on URL. It is clear that these extensions are trying to reconstruct the browsing history of the user which is not their purpose. Why should they know about the time spent on each URL, what apps do you click and where you move from these URLs is nto something that is required by the above mentioned browser extensions. Palant concluded that this entire enquiry by a browser extension is not usual and he smelled flu play on the part of the antivirus program. He wrote two blog posts to reveal the findings. However, when his findings were not taken seriously, he decided to contact Mozilla himself on 2 December to apprise them about the suspicious behavior of the browser extensions of Avast and AVG. All that AVG support center has said so far about this phenomenon is that they are working with Mozilla to get rid of the problem.

A spokesperson of AVG has sought to clarify the whole situation saying that its security extension is trying to protect users from malicious websites and also from phishing attacks. He said that collection of URL history from the user is a part of this exercise and there is nothing unusual about it. However, Mozilla has swiftly taken action and removed the above mentioned extensions from its ass-on repository. Surprisingly, all 4 extensions are still available on Chrome web store.

If you are facing AVG login issues or AVG Windows 10 update problem, you need to contact AVG customer care for the resolution of your issues.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Google Admits to a Security Flaw Affecting 1.5 Billion of Users

 Google has finally admitted to vulnerability that has security repercussions for nearly 1.5 billion of its users. This security flaw was brought to the notice of Google two years ago by researchers at Black Hills Information Security. These researchers had claimed that vulnerability in Google Calendar app was enough for hackers to allow hackers to steal information from he computers of users of Gmail around the country. It is only now that  Gmail support number  is acknowledging the existence of this security flaw. Google did not take any steps to fix this security flaw back in 2017 as it would have resulted in drop in functionality for the users of its Google Calendar app. This was despite the fact that these researchers demonstrated how this vulnerability could be exploited as a weapon by hackers to steal information from the computers of users of Gmail. At that time, Google said that its policy was to prevent spread of malicious content on the services offered by the ...
1 comment
Read more

An insight into the ways to fix LG TV Not Connecting to WiFi

 A problem remains a problem until you learn about the ways to settle it. Once, you learn how to tackle the errors, it’s no more a problem for you. Surviving in a world with advancements in technology, one must know the measures to deal with the possible issues. Nowadays, TVs are connected to WiFi to experience uninterrupted entertainment. But this too carries some problems associated with it. Today, we will be discussing one common connecting issue relating to the LG TV.  LG TVs are well known for their high-quality picture but there are some common complaints made by users relating to them. One such highly recorded complaint made by the user is the “LG TV not connecting to WiFi”. It has been recorded that sometimes users face difficulty in connecting their TV with a WiFi connection.  So, in this read, we will look at the causes that lead to the emergence of this issue and after then we will dive in to find out the ways to settle the issue on our own. So, are you rea...
Post a Comment
Read more

At&t Best in 5g, Offering Free Smartphones to Customers

 AT&T is the number one telecommunications company of the country with footprints in not just landline and mobile telephony but also in broadband internet and digital entertainment. If you are a subscriber of this company, you must be a happy and satisfied customer. Recently, AT&T became Nation’s best 5G network after it was crowned as the most reliable 5G network of the country. A large role in this success is played by  AT&T support  that lives up to the expectations of the customers all the time. Global Wireless Solutions ran a survey in all 50 states across the country in order to find out which service provider is the best 5G network in the eyes of the consumers. In this survey, it was found that a vast majority of AT&T customers said that they were able to access 5G in most of the places. It was not the first time for AT&T to be given this award by GWS. This is the 4 th  time in a row in 4 years that the company has received this award in 4...
Post a Comment
Read more