Security News > 2021 > March > Is Your Browser Extension a Botnet Backdoor?

This story examines the lopsided economics of extension development, and why installing an extension can be such a risky proposition.

Infatica's code then uses the browser of anyone who has that extension installed to route Web traffic for the company's customers, including marketers or anyone able to afford its hefty monthly subscription charges.

THE ECONOMICS OF EXTENSIONS. Hao Nguyen is the developer behind ModHeader, an extension used by more than 400,000 people to test the functionality of websites by making it easier for users to modify the data shared with those sites.

That would put Infatica in line with the activities of another major controversial VPN/proxy provider: Luminati, a.k.a. "HolaVPN." In 2015, security researchers discovered that users of the HolaVPN browser extension were being used to funnel Web traffic for other people.

BE SPARING IN TRUSTING EXTENSIONS. Browser extensions - however useful or fun they may seem when you install them - typically have a great deal of power and can effectively read and/or write all data in your browsing sessions.

The powers granted to each extension are roughly spelled out in its "Manifest," basically a description of what it will be able to access once you incorporate it into your browser.

News URL

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2021/03/is-your-browser-extension-a-botnet-backdoor/