Tech Tip

If you have installed an ad-blocker extension on your Chrome browser, here's a very important article from ZDNet to read.  The short version is that there are several fake ad-blockers that 20 million users have downloaded, creating an infected botnet which gives the software control of the systems.  The most popular of these is called AdRemover.

Most of these have rewritten code from a popular ad blocker called uBlock Plus.  There are a few uBlock incarnations, depending on the generation, and I use one that goes by uBlock Origin.  So, if you do want to use an ad blocker or switch to one, I think that's a good place to start.

In the meantime, if you do have an ad blocker working with your Chrome browser, check out the article.  If you don't use Chrome or don't use an ad blocker -- or already use one of the uBlock apps -- you're fine.  No need to read anything...though it's actually sort of an interesting article.

One piece of positive news in all this -- even if you have been using one of the fake ad blockers, Google has taken the extensions out of its Chrome Web Store, and that automatically disabled the applications that have already been installed.