Internet Download Manager is an adware extension for Google Chrome that has been downloaded by more than 200,000 people, according to researchers. Despite installing a reputable and well-known download management tool, researchers were able to demonstrate some strange behavior using the extension.

Based on the reports, opening links to spammy websites, altering the default browser search engine and seeing more display pop-ups urging users to download undesirable apps and further “patches” are just a few examples of these strange activities.

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Users are requested to download a “Windows patch” ZIP file and install executable software from the Puupnewsapp website after installing the bogus “Internet Download Manager.” Further research finds that the software maker Tonec has a valid Windows tool by the name of Internet Download Manager.

The official Chrome extension that Tonec offers is referred to as the “IDM Integration Module,” and it is available for both Firefox and Chrome. However, a website named “Puupnewsapp” runs the phony “Internet Download Manager” Chrome extension and advertises that it “increases your download speed by up to 500%,” making it a “super software” that can download games, movies, music, and “big files in minutes.”

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Internet Download Manager prompts the user to install an executable file from its developer website puupnewsapp, which is probably a Windows patch when the user downloads and installs the program. However, what they are really doing is downloading adware, which they will later put on their device. After the installation is finished, the adware makes several adjustments, such as altering the computer’s default search engine. So, if you’ve ever downloaded such an extension to your computer, we strongly advise that you delete it right now. It has