Chrome extensions pose as legitimate browser services.
Researchers discovered a collection of malicious Google Chrome extensions aimed to track browsing activities on over 1.4 million devices. McAfee – a computer security company stated the objective of the scam is to change the victim’s browser cookies each time they visit an e-commerce website. This will earn the operator an affiliate fee for any sales made. Although two “Netflix Party” extensions have been deleted from the official extension store, McAfee believes the others are still accessible for download.
Chrome extension scam
The malicious extensions do not provide an immediate security concern because they are not meant to leak sensitive data or install malware. However, they do constitute a blatant invasion of privacy. As seen by the growing popularity of VPN services and other solutions meant to conceal web activity, modern web users are more hesitant to share their browsing data – especially in these circumstances, one would expect.
The fact that the extensions all serve a valid purpose in addition to providing a basis for the affiliate money trick makes this scam extremely tough to detect. They are also widely well-reviewed, giving potential victims no evidence of the scam unfolding right in front of their eyes. The extensions provide a variety of functionalities, such as allowing people to view Netflix episodes together, website discounts, and screenshots of a page. The extension users are not aware of the dangerous feature and the privacy risk of every site visited being submitted to the extension creators’ servers. Meanwhile, to avoid discovery by analysts, the operators configured some of the extensions to begin tampering with browser cookies many weeks after they were installed.
Chrome users who discover they have installed harmful extensions are encouraged to remove them immediately. These harmful extensions include:
Netflix Party
Netflix Party 2
FlipShope – Price Tracking Extension
Full Page Screenshot Capture – Screenshotting
AutoBuy Flash Sales
To protect your security, it is recommended to shield your devices with antivirus services.
