One in 20 web users infected with ad injection software

Google announces crackdown on software and removes 'deceptive' extensions from Chrome webstore following new research

More than one in 20 web users are infected with ad injectors, a type of malware that puts unwanted adverts on web pages, according to new research from Google.

As a result, the company has announced a new crackdown on the software, which can manifest either as a browser extension or a standalone application. Google removed almost 200 "deceptive" extensions from the web store for its Chrome browser, and has started to use Chrome's safe browsing features to display warnings to users who are (likely unknowingly) about to download ad injection software. It has a long way to go, though, as the company's research reveals that there are more than 50,000 browser extensions and 34,000 apps that inject ads into users' browsers.