GOOGLE has revealed the warning signs that your Chrome browser may be infected.
This is a serious problem that could result in you being targeted by criminals.
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Crooks could target you with spammy ads to make money.
Or they could spy on you, steal your info, and then use it defraud you or take your money.
Watching out for the warning signs of malware is extremely important.
“If you’re seeing some of these problems with Chrome, you might have unwanted software or malware installed on your computer,” Google said.
There are five signs that you need to look out for.
The first is pop-up ads or new tabs that won’t go away.
Second is if your Google Chrome homepage or search engine keeps changing without your permission.
The third is if unwanted Chrome extensions or toolbars keep coming back.
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Fourth is that your browsing is hijacked, and keeps redirecting to unfamiliar pages or ads.
And fifth, you may see alerts about a virus or an infected device.
Thankfully there are some steps you can take to stop these problems.
The best option is the reset your browser settings, which should clear up many of Chrome’s problems.
Launch Chrome then go to More > Settings in the top-right of the screen.
Then select Reset Settings > Restore Settings To Their Original Defaults > Reset Settings.
“If you reset your browser settings, you might need to turn some extensions back on,” Google said.
“To turn extensions on, at the top right, click More More and then More Tools and then Extensions. Only turn on extensions you trust.”
Of course, make sure that you don’t turn on any malicious extensions again.
The best advice is to simply avoid installing malware in the first place.
Google said that by being cautious online, you can avoid a lot of problems.
“Watch out for things that look too good to be true,” Google warned.
“Winning a contest or getting expensive copyrighted content at no charge is sometimes a trick to get you to download malware.
“If you haven’t recently run a virus scanner, be wary of warnings about viruses or infected devices.
“The site might be trying to scare you into downloading unwanted software.
“Only download files or visit sites that you know are secure.”
