This sketchy application gains a foothold in Chrome browser and gets privileges broad enough to modify custom web surfing settings specified by the victim. Its pivot point can be a piece of malware referred to as a browser hijacker. Unfortunately, the crooks needn’t reinvent the wheel to execute such a traffic-driving plot. All it takes to set such a ruse in motion is launching a booby-trapped website and luring as many users as possible to visit it.

The dubious side of the matter is that cybercriminals can deploy what’s called malvertising campaigns that heavily rely on push notifications from Google Chrome. Fraudulent request to show notifications in Chrome However, malicious actors are increasingly exploiting this mechanism to serve unwanted ads. At this point, it’s worth emphasizing that this interaction is benign and officially supported by Chrome. The user, in their turn, chooses whether or not to opt in by clicking on the Allow or Block button on this dialog. When visited, a website displays a popup request to show notifications. This permission is granted in a fairly straightforward way. In other words, people often allow their favorite Internet services to let them know whenever some breaking news or a potentially worthwhile update is out. Furthermore, lots of regular users don’t mind receiving such popup messages that help them stay on top of what’s new in their areas of interest. Ideally, web push notifications generated by Google Chrome are an amazingly effective marketing instrument that allows businesses to extend their reach and engage customers.

Notification settings google chrome