Cybersecurity
737 Chrome VPN Extensions Found Routing Traffic Through Proxies
A recent discovery revealed that 737 Chrome browser extensions have been routing user traffic through proxies, primarily targeting Russian-speaking users.
A total of 737 free VPN and proxy extensions available on the Chrome Web Store have been identified as such that primarily target Russian-speaking users. These extensions aim to provide access to blocked services while intercepting browser traffic, and they are associated with at least 40 different developer accounts. According to The Hacker News, these extensions collectively achieved approximately 75,486 installs.
The extensions reportedly impersonate well-known VPN and proxy services and direct users' traffic through SOCKS5 proxies managed by a single provider, as reported by BleepingComputer. The extent of the issue has raised concerns about security and privacy for impacted users.
Among those identified, 274 extensions have been found to impersonate 66 well-known services. The implications of these findings suggest a significant risk to users who may unknowingly be using these malicious extensions.