Chrome Web Store

Chrome Web Store was publicly unveiled in December 2010,{{cite web |last=Kincaid |first=Jason |title=Sales Are At A Trickle On Google's The Chrome Web Store |url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/01/04/sales-have-slowed-to-a-trickle-on-googles-chrome-web-store/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250305005831/https://techcrunch.com/2011/01/04/sales-have-slowed-to-a-trickle-on-googles-chrome-web-store/ |archive-date=5 March 2025 |access-date=4 January 2011 |publisher=TechCrunch}} and was opened on February 11, 2011, with the release of Google Chrome 9.0.{{cite web |last1=Kay |first1=Erik |last2=Boodman |first2=Aaron |date=February 3, 2011 |title=A dash of speed, 3D and apps |url=https://chrome.googleblog.com/2011/02/dash-of-speed-3d-and-apps.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250407132252/https://chrome.googleblog.com/2011/02/dash-of-speed-3d-and-apps.html |archive-date=April 7, 2025 |access-date=March 9, 2017 |website=Chrome Blog |publisher=Google}} A year later it was redesigned to "catalyze a big increase in traffic, across downloads, users, and total number of apps".{{cite web |last=Empson |first=Rip |date=5 December 2011 |title=New The Chrome Web Store Proves To Be A Boon For Developers Above (And Below) The Fold |url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/12/05/new-chrome-web-store-proves-to-be-a-boon-for-developers-above-and-below-the-fold/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313121108/http://techcrunch.com/2011/12/05/new-chrome-web-store-proves-to-be-a-boon-for-developers-above-and-below-the-fold/ |archive-date=13 March 2012 |access-date=5 December 2011 |publisher=TechCrunch}} As of June 2012, there were 750 million total installs of content hosted on Chrome Web Store.{{cite web |author=Vikas SN |date=2012-06-29 |title=The Lowdown: Google I/O 2012 Day 2 – 310M Chrome Users, 425M Gmail & More |url=http://www.medianama.com/2012/06/223-the-lowdown-google-io-2012-day-2-310m-chrome-users-425m-gmail-more/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240301154117/https://www.medianama.com/2012/06/223-the-lowdown-google-io-2012-day-2-310m-chrome-users-425m-gmail-more/ |archive-date=2024-03-01 |access-date=2013-06-14 |publisher=MediaNama}}

Some extension developers have sold their extensions to third-parties who then incorporated adware.{{cite web |date=17 January 2014 |title=Adware vendors buy Chrome Extensions to send ad- and malware-filled updates |url=https://arstechnica.com/security/2014/01/malware-vendors-buy-chrome-extensions-to-send-adware-filled-updates/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250313085229/https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2014/01/malware-vendors-buy-chrome-extensions-to-send-adware-filled-updates/ |archive-date=13 March 2025 |access-date=20 January 2014 |work=Ars Technica}}{{cite web |author=Bruce Schneier |date=21 Jan 2014 |title=Adware Vendors Buy and Abuse Chrome Extensions |url=https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2014/01/adware_vendors.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250212030105/https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2014/01/adware_vendors.html |archive-date=12 February 2025 |access-date=15 April 2025}} In 2014, Google removed two such extensions from Chrome Web Store after many users complained about unwanted pop-up ads.{{cite news |last=Winkler |first=Rolfe |date=19 January 2014 |title=Google Removes Two Chrome Extensions Amid Ad Uproar |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/01/19/google-removes-two-chrome-extensions-amid-ad-uproar/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250303152852/https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-DGB-32130 |archive-date=3 March 2025 |access-date=17 March 2014 |work=Wall Street Journal |publisher=Wall Street Journal}} The following year, Google acknowledged that about five percent of visits to its own websites had been altered by extensions with adware.{{cite web |title=Ad Injection at Scale: Assessing Deceptive Advertisement Modifications |url=https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/research.google.com/en//pubs/archive/43346.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150605041757/https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/research.google.com/en//pubs/archive/43346.pdf |archive-date=2015-06-05 |access-date=2025-04-15}}{{Cite web |title=Superfish injects ads into 5 percent of all Google page views |url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/2920012/superfish-injects-ads-in-one-in-25-google-page-views.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230627232003/https://www.pcworld.com/article/427356/superfish-injects-ads-in-one-in-25-google-page-views.html |archive-date=27 June 2023 |access-date=15 April 2025 |website=PC World |publisher=IDG}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.cio.com.au/article/574450/superfish-injects-ads-one-25-google-page-views/ |title=Superfish injects ads in one in 25 Google page views |website=CIO |publisher=IDG |access-date=2015-06-03 |archive-date=2019-12-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191211155152/https://www.cio.com.au/article/574450/superfish-injects-ads-one-25-google-page-views/ |url-status=dead }}

Malware remains a problem on Chrome Web Store.{{Cite web |date=16 January 2018 |title=Security firm ICEBRG uncovers 4 malicious Chrome extensions - gHacks Tech News |url=https://www.ghacks.net/2018/01/16/security-firm-icebrg-uncovers-4-malicious-chrome-extensions/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250305014411/https://www.ghacks.net/2018/01/16/security-firm-icebrg-uncovers-4-malicious-chrome-extensions/ |archive-date=2025-03-05 |access-date=2018-12-15 |website=ghacks.net}}{{Cite web |date=11 May 2018 |title=Google's bad track record of malicious Chrome extensions continues - gHacks Tech News |url=https://www.ghacks.net/2018/05/11/googles-bad-track-record-of-malicious-chrome-extensions-continues/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241207053041/https://www.ghacks.net/2018/05/11/googles-bad-track-record-of-malicious-chrome-extensions-continues/ |archive-date=2024-12-07 |access-date=2018-12-15 |website=ghacks.net}}{{Cite web |title=Chrome Extension Devs Use Sneaky Landing Pages after Google Bans Inline Installs |url=https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/chrome-extension-devs-use-sneaky-landing-pages-after-google-bans-inline-installs/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250405190222/https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/chrome-extension-devs-use-sneaky-landing-pages-after-google-bans-inline-installs/ |archive-date=2025-04-05 |access-date=2018-12-15 |website=BleepingComputer |language=en-us}}{{Cite web |date=11 October 2018 |title=Chrome's inline extension install ban already bypassed - gHacks Tech News |url=https://www.ghacks.net/2018/10/11/chrome-inline-extensions-install-bypass/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250120134236/https://www.ghacks.net/2018/10/11/chrome-inline-extensions-install-bypass/ |archive-date=2025-01-20 |access-date=2018-12-15 |website=ghacks.net}} In January 2018, researchers from security firm ICEBRG found four malicious extensions with more than 500,000 combined downloads.{{cite web |date=17 January 2018 |title=Google Chrome extensions with 500,000 downloads found to be malicious |url=https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2018/01/500000-chrome-users-fall-prey-to-malicious-extensions-in-google-web-store/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250330055205/https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2018/01/500000-chrome-users-fall-prey-to-malicious-extensions-in-google-web-store/ |archive-date=2025-03-30 |access-date=2018-12-30 |publisher=Ars Technica}} In February 2021, Google blocked "The Great Suspender", a popular extension with 2,000,000 users after it was reported that malicious code was added to it.{{Cite web |title=Google kills The Great Suspender |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/google-kills-the-great-suspender-heres-what-you-should-do-next/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250308182146/https://www.zdnet.com/article/google-kills-the-great-suspender-heres-what-you-should-do-next/ |archive-date=2025-03-08 |access-date=2021-05-29 |website=ZDNet}}{{Cite web |title=The Great Suspender Chrome extension's fall from grace |url=https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/the-great-suspender-chrome-extensions-fall-from-grace/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250305001913/https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/the-great-suspender-chrome-extensions-fall-from-grace/ |archive-date=2025-03-05 |access-date=2021-05-30 |website=BleepingComputer |language=en-us}}{{Cite web |title=What happens when a Chrome extension with 2m+ users changes hands, raises red flags, doesn't document updates? Let's find out |url=https://www.theregister.com/2021/01/07/great_suspender_malware/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250311195607/https://www.theregister.com/2021/01/07/great_suspender_malware/ |archive-date=2025-03-11 |access-date=2021-05-29 |website=www.theregister.com}}

Chrome used to allow extensions hosted on Chrome Web Store to also be installed at the developer's website for the sake of convenience.{{Cite web |title=Using Inline Installation - Google Chrome |url=https://developer.chrome.com/webstore/inline_installation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250409162804/https://developer.chrome.com/docs/webstore |archive-date=2025-04-09 |access-date=2018-12-14 |website=developer.chrome.com}} However, this became a malware vector, so it was removed in 2018.{{Cite web |title=Improving extension transparency for users |url=https://blog.chromium.org/2018/06/improving-extension-transparency-for.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250408180328/https://blog.chromium.org/2018/06/improving-extension-transparency-for.html |archive-date=2025-04-08 |access-date=2018-12-15 |website=Chromium Blog |language=en}}

{{reflist|2}}

• {{Official website|https://chrome.google.com/webstore}}

{{Google LLC}}

{{Software digital distribution platforms}}

Category:Google Chrome

Category:Google services

Category:Mobile software distribution platforms

Category:Online marketplaces of the United States