Urgent Gmail alert issued to anyone who checks emails via Chrome

If you have a Gmail account, and use Google Chrome on your computer, do not ignore this advice, as a new type of malware is using these services to hack into your personal emails. This cyber attack uses a fake Chrome browser extension known as AF, to target PCs and harvest your data from Gmail inboxes. According to cyber security experts, victims of this scam were tricked after they received an email urging them to install this bogus extension.

The virus was first discovered by the joint cyber security team from the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and the National Intelligence Service of the Republic of Korea.

While the hackers initially targeted Gmail users in South Korea, it has since begun spreading to the US and then Europe, which means that users need to be on high alert.

They warned that once the extension is installed, the virus will hijack the victim’s Gmail account, allowing hackers to peer into your personal messages and steal your information.

The crooks who are behind this cyber attack are the North Korean hacker group known as Kimsuky, and are currently and primarily targetting high-ranking officials like diplomats and politicians, and also journalists.

However, this harmful extension can be installed on any PC, meaning you should be careful when you receive any emails asking you to download files to Chrome.

To avoid your account being hacked, it is advised that you should never install anything onto a PC without doing plenty of research on it first.

If you’re interested in downloading popular Google Chrome extensions like Grammarly and Tab managers, it’s best to do some from official sites like the Chrome web store

You should also check the reviews before downloading such products, which could reveal such security issues.