Cybersecurity researchers have discovered a network of 152 Google Chrome extensions that act as new tab live wallpaper add-ons to distribute a potentially unwanted program (PUP) family.
The cluster spans 38 separate Chrome Web Store publisher accounts and three brand backends: tabplugins[.]com, yowgames[.]com, and chromewallpaper[.]com. They have been collectively installed 105,000 times. The names of some of the extensions are listed below -
- Neymar - Football Live Wallpaper (laafpeklcnlfmjaofbndehkjpnccbhek)
- Satoru Gojo Manga Live Wallpaper (mnpacdigbockiilmilhbedciadenfdnb)
- Porsche 911 - Sports Car Live Wallpaper (dead service worker) (iedplnnolciaofkakkjmcojnmklpfikg)
- Satoru Gojo Live Wallpaper (ipiabbhciknabpoihaakdahgghllelpj)
- Hello Kitty Wallpapers HD New Tab (hijpkhinofkdobfagfbobnnoihmopgkk)
- Pusheen Cat Wallpapers HD New Tab (famchdjojcnakamhkddkpaglnkonkfnl)
- Peach & Goma Wallpapers HD New Tab (nomekamioepglinefhenifnbegjhfiai)
- Spider-Man Miles Morales Swing Live Wallpaper (jjngbcodoldjmpjpfbhfelaljbdlkekh)
- BMW M3 Neon Night Drive Live Wallpaper (gfikbhpfjldbbikolkcimfgmejhdkjbe)
- BMW Wallpapers (dbiamdajndfmpmmeklcbbnekhkdcakhf)
- Death Note Anime Wallpapers HD New Tab (pkdloppfapenphihgbldhjjlfhgnkmcg)
- Sonic Frontiers Starfall Live Wallpaper (imkepemaflommlonnppjobgdpokbfmoj)
- Tanjiro - Demon Slayer Live Wallpaper (ibglidkppckhminbhbgcajomjplomcka)
- Neymar New Tab Wallpaper (gkbfokaephnaajnmpgiieidpfieamggb)
- Anime Car Drift Live Wallpaper (bcafgkhoifffmnoajkgmbhcojpabjffm)
- Choso Wallpapers New Tab (ojeaociifmdciibodcifjjocdlbjjeep)
- Anime Rain Live Wallpaper (npcghghfkbpgiamoifabankdnmopenni)
- Minecraft Sakura Pond Live Wallpaper (mjdhgndjbajnanfimjipafechjbakdhh)
- Straw Hat Live Wallpaper Ghost of Tsushima (lblgjffllphdepifdkfhlihddckhlkll)
- Zenitsu Agatsuma Live Wallpaper (laeciedchhnmnfhllplcgkfcdbdfgdhn)
"Every listing declares on the Chrome Web Store that it will not collect or use user data, while the linked privacy policy admits the opposite: that the extensions log IP addresses, ISP, click counts, and referrers and share that data with Google AdSense, DoubleClick, and third-party ad partners," Socket security researcher Kush Pandya said.
What's more, a sub-cluster of the identified extensions defines two hard-coded URLs in a JavaScript file ("js/bg.js") that are activated during install and uninstall operations -
- The install URL includes the Urchin Tracking Module (UTM) parameters "utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=tanjiro-demon-slayer-live-wallpaper" thereby disguising the extension opening a tab on install as an "organic" search.
- The uninstall URL is a google.com/url redirect wrapper that masquerades the uninstall as genuine Google Search activity.
Organic search on search engines like Gook refers to the unpaid listings on a search engine results page (SERP) generated by algorithms. Their placement is based on parameters like relevance, authority, and search engine optimization (SEO), and is different from sponsored results.
The idea behind these extension, Socket said, is to artificially create that signal, which essentially amounts to fabricating the origin of its own traffic.
"The visit is not a person who searched Google; it is the extension opening a tab on its own and stamping it 'arrived from Google organic search,'" the company explained.
"The uninstall ping goes a step further, wrapping the destination in the exact google.com/url format Google uses for real search-result clicks, including the signed ved and usg tokens, so the hit looks like a human clicking a Google result."
The JavaScript files also come equipped with a dormant capability to enumerate and delete every IndexedDB database it can find upon a service worker start.
The campaign is assessed to be a "financially motivated commercial adware and traffic-attribution-fraud affiliate operation," although its exact provenance remains unknown. Available circumstantial indicators suggest it could have originated from Turkey.
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