Your web browser could be hacking you

5 days ago

2 min read

Chrome is the world's #1 web browser, which also makes it a target for hackers and scammers who want to take advantage of everyone using it. Chrome uses something called extensions which are like apps for your phone and as you might have guessed, the bad guys are making alluring, malicious extensions for people to download.

The latest finding from Socket this week revealed a number of extensions that are designed to steal funds from crypto wallets, banking passwords, social media accounts, web browsing and history and even fake popups that when clicked, gives bad actors back-door access into your computer.

The Takeaway

The scary thing is that in the case of one particular extension, Enable Right Click & Copy - Smart Unlock + OCR, it was initially developed by a legitimate organization, PreppHint. They were then later acquired by a threat actor! Once that happened, the bad guys gained instant access to around 70,000 users on Chrome and another 10,000 on Microsoft Edge.

And that's just one example. Some of these extensions have been live in the Chrome Web Store since 2024. If you or someone you know uses Chrome, I recommend checking your extensions for the following hot list. To do this, hit the 3 dots in the top right of your browser > Extensions > Manage Extensions. Look for any of these offenders:

Enable Right Click & Copy – Smart Unlock + OCR
RapidLens - Google Lens for Screen Search & Images
QuickLens - Search Screen with Google Lens
Password Protect PDF
Allow Copy - Select & Enable Right Click
PixelCheck
Creative Library - Ad Spy Tool
Website Traffic Checker: MirrorSphere SEO Stats
Site Signal - Website Traffic & SEO Checker
SEO Pulse Pro - Website Traffic & SEO Analyzer
Private Crypto News Reader
Blockfolio: Address Monitor
Crypto Rates & Fiat Converter
Crypto Alerter: Price Alarms & Volatility Warnings
DeFi Pulse Tracker
Crypto Price Badge: Quick Glance
Multi-Chain Explorer
LedgerLook: Wallet Checker
Meta & Facebook Ad Library Spy – Save Ads, Finder, Downloader | FeedX-Ray

The Chrome Extension battle is just beginning. You may have other malicious extensions installed. I recommend that you:

Only install extensions you truly need. Fewer browser extensions means fewer opportunities for something malicious to gain access to your browsing activity.
Check the permissions before installing. Be cautious if an extension asks to “read and change data on all websites,” access your clipboard, or view browsing history when it clearly doesn't need to.
Remove anything you don’t recognize. In Chrome, go to the 3 dot menu I mentioned earlier > Extensions > Manage Extensions and uninstall anything unfamiliar, unused, or suspicious.