Wikipedia Warns On Browser Malware

Wikipedia has issued a warning to users, telling them that if they are seeing adverts whilst browsing the site it is likely they are infected with malware.

The Wikimedia Foundation said it had seen cases where browsers had been infected with malware posing a an add-on. Instead of offering useful features, it displays ads in browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Internet Explorer.

“Ads injected in this manner may be confined to some sites, even just to Wikipedia, or they may show up on all sites you visit,” the Wikipedia owner said.

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“Disabling browser add-ins is a good starting point to determine the source of these types of ads. This does not necessarily fix the source of the problem either, as malware may make deep changes to your operating system. If you’re comfortable attempting a malware scan and removal yourself, there are various spyware/malware removal tools.

“Popular and well-reviewed solutions include Ad-Aware and Malwarebytes. But be aware that these types of tools may also bundle software, or leave your computer in an unusable state.

“If in doubt, have your computer evaluated for malware by a competent and qualified computer repair center.”

The groups said browsing via an HTTPS connection might help, but the underlying problem would not be fixed.

Wikipedia said if ads are appearing and are not from the Wikimedia foundation, it may also be due to internet providers injecting them into web pages.

“But rest assured: you won’t be seeing legitimate advertisements on Wikipedia. We’re here to distribute the sum of human knowledge to everyone on the planet – ad-free, forever,” the group added.

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