Security News > 2021 > February > Attackers Leverage Locally-Loaded Chrome Extension for Data Exfiltration
A recently investigated malicious attack was abusing a locally loaded Chrome extension to exfiltrate data and establish communication with the command and control server.
While the use of malicious Chrome extensions in attacks is not something new, this attack stands out from the crowd due to the use of 'Developer mode' in the browser to enable loading of a malicious extension locally.
The malicious add-on used in this attack, SANS Internet Storm Center handler Bojan Zdrnja explains, claimed to be Forcepoint Endpoint Chrome Extension for Windows, although it had nothing to do with the cyber-security firm, aside from the stolen name and logo.
Analysis of the code revealed that the attackers were using a legitimate method to set up a listener and enable communication between extensions.
Specific keys the code was found to set were being synced to the logged-in victim's Google cloud, allowing the attackers to log into their own Chrome browser with the same account, and then abuse Google's infrastructure to communicate with the browser on the victim's network.
The researcher recommends control over the Chrome extensions in the local environment, especially since Google does allow administrators to use group policies to allow/approve specific extensions and block all others.