Chrome Extension Wrongly Flagged as Malware: Steps Developers Can Take to Fix It

Developers whose Chrome extensions are flagged as malware by antivirus products may be surprised to learn that VirusTotal cannot clear the detections on their behalf, so each vendor must be contacted separately. Warning signs include user quarantine notices, Chrome reporting that an extension may be corrupted, and security suites blocking the developer's domain. Before reporting a false positive, developers are advised to check their developer dashboard and compare the live package against their own build to rule out a real compromise. The guidance recommends hashing every file in the package, reporting each detection through the vendor's own false-positive channel, and avoiding uploads of non-public files to VirusTotal, since its submissions are shared. Blocked domains can be addressed through Google Safe Browsing error reports and Search Console reviews.