Browser Extensions Transforming Browsers into Website-Scraping Bots
By
chha
Plain bagel done well. Pleasantly substantive.
Summary
Browser extensions installed on nearly 1 million devices are being used to turn browsers into website-scraping bots for a paid service, overriding key security protections. The extensions, available for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, serve various purposes but all incorporate a common feature.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledExtensions installed on almost 1 million devices have been overriding key security protections to turn browsers into engines that scrape websites on behalf of a paid service, a researcher said.
The extensions serve a wide range of purposes, including managing bookmarks and clipboards, boosting speaker volumes, and generating random numbers.
The common thread among all of them: They incorporate Mell
Extensions load unknown sites into invisible Windows. What could go wrong?
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