Week #4b

https://www.zdnet.com/article/chrome-80-update-cripples-top-cybercrime-marketplace/

February 27, 2020

Recently Google has released an update for its Chrome software. While the release of Chrome 80 has garnered a negative response due to the ScrolltoTextFragement as well as the new update to its password storing system. Though there are a lot of dismay from consumers, it has in some way become a saving grace for them as well. The update has left a certain cybercrime marketplace in shambles.

Genesis Store sells stolen browser credentials which they call ‘fingerprints’. These “fingerprints include basic details about a user’s account, such as username and password, but also more detailed things, such as past IP addresses the user has used, browser cookies, user-agent strings, and other OS technical details.” So as you can imagine, if this information gets into the wrong hands it can be detrimental to the innocent user. To make matters worse, the store has an extension in the Google store that then allows the purchaser to use the fingerprint to impersonate the user. The new algorithm only allows Genesis to steal about thirty fingerprints per day. Yes, people are still being affected but not nearly as bad as it was. With this decrease in inflow, Genesis is crumbling.

What can be taken away from this is that you should be careful when storing information onto your laptop browsers. Yes, it is very convenient however you also run the risk of being exposed. I am guilty of doing this, literally all my information is on my laptop so if it were to get hacked, I would be screwed. Hopefully, there will be a way to stop this from occurring completely.