When you hear the word ‘zombie’ you might think of The Walking Dead, Left 4 Dead, Call of Duty, or one of dozens of other zombie related TV shows and video games out today. But what you might not consider is that there could be a zombie right in front of you – and that zombie could be your internet browser.
Don’t laugh us off just yet! Zombie internet browsers are a real thing. And according to a team of PC security researchers, the number of zombie browsers installed on users’ computers has “skyrocketed” this year.
What is a zombie browser?
Don’t worry – the zombie browser won’t eat you. But it could do some pretty scary stuff to your computer and your privacy.
A zombie browser is a web browser that has been infected with malicious extensions. These extensions effectively give hackers control over what your browser does. That means hackers can choose which websites you visit, where your Google results redirect, and which files you download.
But to make the zombie browsers even more frightening – they can even spy on webcams and record audio. If that doesn’t freak you out, then you probably won’t be interested in the rest of this article, which will show you how to remove zombie browsers from your system.
How to remove zombie browsers
One of the most frightening things about zombie browsers is that standard antivirus software does not detect them. For all intents and purposes, they look like real internet browsers, and even the world’s top antivirus software simply glazes over them.
Instead of resorting to antivirus software to remove your zombie threat, it’s time to switch browsers. Chrome is the only browser that gives users full control over which plugins are currently enabled and disabled.
If you already use Chrome, take a look at the plugins that are currently installed by going to the settings menu in the top right corner of the screen. Then, click on the Extensions option on the left hand side of the screen and scroll through your list of extensions. As you can see from this picture, my browser is not a zombie, and it only uses AdBlock as a plugin.
If you use Firefox, Internet Explorer, or some other browser, and it’s been acting strangely in recent weeks, then you should try switching to Chrome as soon as possible. You should also uninstall those browsers from your system and delete all data related to that browser. Then, if you choose, you can reinstall it.
Remember: zombie browsers can watch you as you sit at your computer. If the thought of having someone watch you every time you sit down at your PC freaks you out, then you’ll want to headshot that zombie virus as soon as possible.
