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Web extensions are useful tools to block ads, or help you translate easily but they can also become an easy route for malicious attacks.
The security firm has talked about a slew of extensions that may have caused some damage. (Photo: AI generated)
Browser extensions are helpful in many ways but these can also become an easy route for bad actors to infect systems. And a new security report suggests around 17 browser extensions in Chrome, Edge and Firefox have the potential to cause big damage. The details provided by cybersecurity firm LayerX suggests there are 17 malicious extensions that have the potential to enable user tracking in the background and you don’t even get a whiff of it.
The worrying part is that over 500,000 downloads have already been recorded for the culprit extensions and these companies are doing their best to get people to delete/remove them from their browser right away.
Chrome And Edge Extension Dangerous Threat: What We Know
The firm claims around 17 dangerous extensions have been downloaded more than 840,000 times and seem to have bypassed all possible security checks to operate for over 5 years. These tools could be as simple as a YouTube video downloader, translating text in real time or even check for online shopping items and their price history.
Most people use extensions for these functional reasons so when some of these are dubbed to be malicious, the security red flags are sure to spook anyone. These extensions have been found culpable across all the popular web browsers and not just Chrome, which is likely to be the most affected by the risks.
Browser Extension Risk: How It Can Attack
The security firm has shared the details about the extensions and which ones topped the dubious list. The report says, “Google Translate in Right Click”, was the most downloaded extension at 500,000 installs from the app store. These are all the extensions that the firm is warning users about:
- Page Screenshot Clipper
- Full Page Screenshot
- Convert Everything
- Translate Selected Text with Google
- Youtube Download
- RSS Feed
- Ads Block Ultimate
- AdBlocker
- Color Enhancer
- Floating Player – PiP Mode
- One Key Translate
- Cool Cursor
- Google Translate in Right Click
- Translate Selected Text with Right Click
- Amazon Price History
- Save Image to Pinterest on Right Click
- Instagram Downloader
The malware used an advanced technology that allowed them to infect systems with hidden links or dangerous codes that are embedded into images. The more concerning aspect about the malware is that attackers can delay its trigger and by then users lose track of such threats and the data theft is done in the background.
Microsoft and Mozilla have since then removed all the extensions but a 5 year timeline for their presence means some of the users might have already faced issues because of the malicious nature of these tools that might look unharmed to the user.
Cyber experts usually share tips, asking people to avoid installing apps from unknown sources but these extensions were available through official apps stores, so the concerns are related to how these companies vet the apps that bypass the system.
California, USA
January 28, 2026, 10:14 IST
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