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Security Audits Expose Malicious and Data‑Harvesting Chrome Extensions Affecting Millions

New analyses detail server‑controlled plugins that evade Chrome Web Store checks, with full lists released for users to audit their browsers.

Overview

  • LayerX traced a coordinated AiFrame campaign using 30‑plus AI‑branded Chrome add‑ons with roughly 260,000 installs that embed server‑hosted iframes to exfiltrate page content and even voice transcripts.
  • Researchers reported a shared backend and command infrastructure for AiFrame, including subdomains under tapnetic.pro, as well as re‑uploads under new IDs to survive takedowns.
  • Separately, the Q Continuum team analyzed about 32,000 popular extensions and identified 287 that transmit browsing data to external servers, potentially affecting around 37.4 million users.
  • The audit used a controlled Chrome setup with a man‑in‑the‑middle proxy and flagged extensions whose outbound traffic rose in step with URL length, with a detailed 260‑page report and GitHub lists published.
  • Named examples in the data‑sending set include Avast Online Security & Privacy, Stands AdBlocker, and Monica: ChatGPT AI Assistant, though inclusion does not by itself prove malicious intent.