Malicious Browser Extensions/Add-ons Causing Issues
The Procentive Care Team has recently had an influx of users report they are experiencing odd issues within Procentive.
We have been able to determine, after extensive conversations and research, that these users have internet browsers (Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Safari, etc.) with add-ons or extensions interfering with the operation of websites including Procentive. Some of these add-ons include malicious browser extension Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs), which are a security risk and you might not even know that they are there or know that they are collecting data.
Some of the issues users have experienced with the Procentive software as a result of the malicious PUA add-ons/extensions in the users internet browsers are:
- Fields being changed due to autofill
- Slowness in most (or all) Modules not related to internet speed
- Clinical documentation- problems with signatures saving
Due to the malicious nature of these PUA add-ons/extensions the Procentive Care Team strongly suggests every user review the add-ons/extensions for any internet browser they use on each computer.
We will post the malicious PUA add-ons that we have come across to this thread, but also encourage you to post what you find here- so we can ban together for the protection of all.
Customer support service by UserEcho
How would one "review" the add-ons/extensions for any internet browser they use on each computer?
Great Question! I've included instructions below for the browsers Procentive supports:
Google Chrome
Internet Explorer
Safari
Choose Preferences from the Safari menu, then click Extensions.
Can you post the PUA add-ons/extensions that you mentioned?
At this time, the following 3 extensions have been identified:
The links above will take you to a site outside of Procentive that you can use as reference - we found this site by performing web searches on these extensions - as it is one of many sites listing these extensions as PUAs.
Procentive has not used these references and cannot attest to the validity of the content so I would strongly suggest you work with your IT department to remove these.
I have had staff report signatures disappearing in the last couple of weeks, likely due to this. I am wondering what a solution would be for those signatures? Our signatures are time stamped; so if we were to go back in and sign them now, it will not have the correct day? This could lead to potential problems-as many of are documents are time sensitive? Specifically with compliance to state and federal regulations?
If you have not done so already, please submit a Help Desk ticket with regards to specific forms where signatures may have disappeared so that our team can investigate these with you.
Hi Everyone!
Based on the questions received so far, via User Community and Support Tickets, I would like to elaborate more:
Please review your extensions/add-ons and, if there are any you do not recognize or do not remember intentionally installing, consider uninstalling them.
If you are unsure, check with your IT department or do an internet search for the name of the extension. This helps identify if any additional actions are needed to fully remove the software from your computer - often times uninstalling the extension isn't enough!
Many PUAs "masquerade" as helpful software with unassuming names so when in doubt, uninstall it. If you later find that you uninstalled something you need back you can always reinstall it!
Thanks to Procentive staff for identifying this problem and providing helpful info.
Two questions: 1. Are PUAs the same as PUPs (Potentially Unwanted Programs)? 2. Will an antivirus can identify these programs as malicious?
Thanks,
Richard Sethre, PsyD., LP