Tampermonkey Extension Blacklisted by Opera Due to “Malicious Activity”

• The 4.7.54 build of the Tampermonkey extension was identified to be distributing malware.
• Opera blacklisted the browser extension after discovering malicious activity with older versions being made available.
• The developers are unsure about what the issue is and have asked for clarification and are waiting for an official response.

Opera users who installed the Tampermonkey 4.7.54 via Google’s Chrome Web Store ran into an error warning stating that the extension has been blacklisted according to TechDows reports. Opera claims that the extension was being used to distribute malware and users were directed to continue using the safe 4.2.5291 build or remove the extension altogether.

Image Courtesy of TechDows

Tampermonkey developer Jan Biniok responded to Opera’s claims stating “they don't really explain what the actual issue is? Is the extension being modified, which means its, not the same extension anymore as the one on the Chrome Web Store and should not be blocked, or is it being used by another program/extension to bypass the acceptance criteria?”

Tests done by other news websites revealed that Tampermonkey by itself is not infected by other apps like Gom Player install the malicious dhdgffkkebhmkfjojejmpbldmpobfkfo extension using Tampermonkey. It essentially means that the Tampermonkey extension by itself is not malicious, but it is being misused by other developers.

There have been other instances of legitimate extensions being misused as “helpers” of malware and adware. However, Opera’s decision to blacklist Tampermonkey instead of taking action against the malicious apps themselves has surprised many.

Image Courtesy of TechDows

If you who want to remove the blacklist on the extension can simply close the browser and open the “%UserProfile%\AppData\Roaming\Opera Software\Opera Stable\Preferences” file using Notepad. Once you open the file search for “dhdgffkkebhmkfjojejmpbldmpobfkfo” using the find command (Ctrl+F). Change the value of "blacklist": true to "blacklist": false and change "blacklist_state":1 to "blacklist_state":0 and you will be able to access the latest version of Tampermonkey again. Alternatively, you can continue using the older version of the extension until the developers address the issue to keep yourself safe from potential malicious activity.

What do you think about Opera’s decision to blacklist Tampermonkey? Let us know in the comments below. Don’t forget to like this story and subscribe to our socials on Facebook and Twitter, getting the daily tech news first.