Google Chrome issues urgent warning: Harmful extensions could be spying on everything you do online
The problematic extensions at the heart of this campaign appeared to do exactly what they advertised. They offered features users want, such as emoji keyboards, video speed controls, weather updates, volume boosters, VPN services for Discord and TikTok, YouTube unblockers, and dark themes. Once installed, these 'harmless' add-ons covertly turned into surveillance tools that secretly monitor browsing activity and send that data to remote servers.
Google has already removed the extensions from the official Chrome Web Store. However, if you installed any of them before they were taken down, you will need to delete them manually. To make matters worse, some of these extensions continue to circulate on third-party websites, still putting users at risk.
Security experts found that these extensions followed a set pattern. First, each one captured the address of every website you visited. That information was then sent back to a remote server and tagged with a unique identifier attached to your device. The server could respond with instructions to automatically redirect your browser to other websites of its choosing. All this happened silently, making it easy for the attackers to spy on or even manipulate your browsing experience.
For example, if you clicked on a perfectly normal video meeting invite, the extension might redirect you to a fake site mimicking a necessary software update. Downloading anything from there could open your computer up to further malware.
Some of the known extensions include Unlock Discord, Dark Theme, Volume Max, Unblock TikTok, Unlock YouTube VPN, Geco Colorpick, Weather, and various others for both Chrome and Edge. It's likely that even more unsafe add-ons are still circulating, especially if downloaded outside the official extension stores.
To safeguard your information, open your browser's settings and look for 'Extensions' in the main menu or under 'More tools.' Go through the list and remove any add-ons you do not recognise or no longer use. Click 'Remove' or 'Uninstall' for anything suspicious, then restart your browser. It is wise to change important passwords, clear your saved autofill entries, and run a trusted antivirus or anti-malware scan for extra peace of mind.
Sadly, even extensions from reputable stores can be updated to include harmful code, so it is important to regularly review what you have installed. Check for recent reviews and uninstall anything you do not remember adding. Most browser add-ons are safe when downloaded from official sources but cybercriminals are always finding new ways to hide their tracks.
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