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Latest malware scam attempts to uninstall and replace your Chrome browser

Published Oct 19th, 2015 12:59PM EDT
Malware Scam eFast Browser
Image: PCrisk

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We’ve become accustomed to malware that invades our browsers — showing us ads we don’t want to see and collecting our information without any warning — but there’s a new scam worth watching out for.

Last Thursday, PCrisk was one of the first sites to warn users about the eFast browser, a malware browser that seeks to replace a user’s Chrome browser entirely, promising more relevant search results and better deals while shopping.

READ MORE: Adobe releases patch for major Flash vulnerability – here’s how to download it

Although the browser looks relatively innocuous at a glance, it has been classified as adware and will pack your Internet browsing experience with unwanted ads while tracking and reporting everything you do to advertisers.

Thankfully, if you’re a savvy Internet user (as I assume most BGR readers are), you probably won’t have any trouble avoiding the eFast browser. As long as you refrain from downloading bundled software that comes along with programs you actually want and thoroughly analyze suspicious software before installing it on your PC, you should be fine.

But, if for whatever reason you do end up with this shady Chrome replacement on your desktop, all you have to do is find eFast in “Programs and Features” and uninstall it. It probably wouldn’t hurt to scan for malware afterwards as well.

The idea of an adware browser sneaking on to your computer and replacing your default browser might sound like a frightening one, but as The Verge notes, it just goes to show how desperate hackers are getting now that Google has tightened up security throughout Chrome.

Jacob Siegal
Jacob Siegal Associate Editor

Jacob Siegal is Associate Editor at BGR, having joined the news team in 2013. He has over a decade of professional writing and editing experience, and helps to lead our technology and entertainment product launch and movie release coverage.