Over one million Chrome extension users subject to data scraping

Google has pulled over 200 suspicious extensions from Chrome’s web store thanks to data theft.

A Chrome extension has been  discovered, by security researchers, with the potential to reveal the personal data of over one mission users to a specific US IP address.

Called Webpage Screenshot, the extension lets users record and save screen captures. There have been 1.2m downloads of WP, although it manages to hide the fact that it can copy a user’s data.

One cyber security company, ScrapeSentry, found malicious code contained in the extension that enabled a US server to receive browsing data. The information included data seen in a page title, which could include email, before being transferred to an IP address without the user’s knowledge.

ScrapeSentry security analyst Cristian Mariolini said:

“The repercussions of this could be quite major for the individuals who have downloaded the extension. What happens to the personal data and the motives for wanting it sent it to the US server is anyone’s guess, but ScrapeSentry would take an educated guess it’s not going to be good news.”

Google may find that it suffers follow this incident, with users subject to data theft likely to think twice before downloading any further apps from its store. Any businesses that prioritise customer loyalty need to ensure that they protect customer data with their lives. By looking at their IT security recruitment plans, businesses will be able to assess if they are really doing enough.