Stop Using Microsoft Edge To Download Chrome — Unless You Want Malware

For many people who purchase a new Windows 10 PC, Microsoft’s built-in Edge browser has one purpose: to download an alternate browser like Google Chrome. The most common way to do this for people who don’t have the URL memorized? Type “download Chrome” in the address bar and click the first result provided by Bing search. Unfortunately those unsuspecting users have a high chance of downloading malware and adware. That’s because Bing has been serving up malicious but highly visible Google Chrome ads for months .

This weekend, Twitter user Gabriel Landau enjoyed his first few hours with a Windows 10 laptop by doing this exact thing (video in Twitter link). The top result for his “download chrome” search via Edge looked ordinary enough. Except that when he clicked it the resulting domain was “GoogleOnline2018.com.” The fake site isn’t an exact copy of Google’s own Chrome landing page, but looks genuine enough to fool people. The download itself is called “ChromeSetup.exe,” but examining the digital signature reveals “Alpha Criteria Ltd.” That’s definitely not Google.