The AdGuard Research reports that over 20 million of Chrome browser users have unwarily infected their devices by installing a fake adbloker apps (freeware software designed to block unwanted/annoying advertisements).

The victims were tricked into downloading the fraudulent software after it was hosted on the Chrome Web Store.

The AdGuard security researchers has spotted five malicious ad blockers extension in the Google Chrome Store: AdRemover for Google Chrome (10 million users), uBlock Plus (8 million users), Adblock Pro (2 million users), HD for YouTube (400,000 users) and Webutation (30 million users).

These five malicious extensions are copycat versions of some legitimate, well-known Ad Blockers. Creators of these extensions also used popular keywords in their names and descriptions to rank top in the search results, increasing the possibility of getting more users to download them.

Fortunately, Google reacted quickly to remove the malicious apps from the Chrome Web Store. But the mere fact they were not only listed but ended up being the top rated results, rightfully raises questions about Google’s filter process for the store.

Anyone who needs to check if their devices have been compromised should check if they are using any of the named/fake ad blocking apps, and if so, delete it immediately. Moreover, the AdGuard encourages the Chrome users to check the credibility of the app’s authors and make sure that they can be trusted.