[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fjh_9CMR2RsC2PP2zq8uwWJgG5SnXqAn893c_qRfe31s":3},{"article":4,"iocs":46},{"id":5,"title":6,"slug":7,"summary":8,"ai_summary":9,"brief":10,"full_text":11,"url":12,"image_url":13,"published_at":14,"ingested_at":15,"relevance_score":16,"entities":17,"category_id":28,"category":29,"article_tags":33},"7638a80c-90f2-4a35-aa71-fb8cd60c628f","152 Chrome Wallpaper Extensions with 105K Installs Linked to Adware and Fake Traffic","152-chrome-wallpaper-extensions-with-105k-installs-linked-to-adware-and-fake-tra-df7edb","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","Cybersecurity researchers have identified 152 Google Chrome extensions, masquerading as live wallpaper add-ons, that distribute adware and engage in fake traffic generation. These extensions, published under 38 separate accounts and linked to three brand backends, have collectively garnered over 105,000 installations. Despite privacy policy claims, they log user data and share it with ad partners, while also employing deceptive tactics to mimic organic Google search traffic upon installation and uninstallation.","152 Chrome extensions with 105K installs linked to adware and fake traffic.","152 Chrome Wallpaper Extensions with 105K Installs Linked to Adware and Fake Traffic Ravie LakshmananJun 15, 2026Browser Security \u002F Privacy 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\u002Fbg.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\u002Furl 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\u002Furl 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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SHARE     Tweet Share Share Share SHARE  adware, browser security, chrome extension, Chrome Web Store, cybersecurity, data collection, Google Chrome, Privacy ⚡ Top Stories This Week Chrome V8 Zero-Day CVE-2026-11645 Exploited in the Wild - Patch Now Researchers Build Self-Replicating AI Worm That Operates Entirely on Local, Open-Weight Models Microsoft Defender RoguePlanet Zero-Day Grants SYSTEM Access on Updated Windows Anthropic Releases Claude Fable 5, Its Most Powerful AI Yet, With Cyber Safeguards Microsoft Patches Record 206 Flaws, Including Three Zero-Days and Critical RCE Bugs Ivanti, Fortinet, and SAP Release Patches for Multiple Critical Vulnerabilities Cybersecurity Stars Awards 2026: Winners Announced Across 95 Categories ThreatsDay Bulletin: Worm Code Leaked, AI Agent Phished, Claude Code Patch + 28 New Stories New GreatXML Exploit Bypasses Windows BitLocker via Recovery Partition XML Files Agentjacking Attack Tricks AI Coding Agents Into Running Malicious Code China-Linked Hackers Backdoored Linux Login Software to Hide for Nearly a Decade Critical Splunk Enterprise Flaw Lets Attackers Run Code Without Authentication U.S. Orders Anthropic to Suspend Fable 5 and Mythos 5 Access for Foreign Nationals Over 400 Arch Linux AUR Packages Hijacked to Deploy Infostealer and eBPF Rootkit ⭐ Featured Resources Get the 2026 Guide to Govern and Secure Enterprise AI Agents at Scale [Watch Demo] See Which Security Gaps Attackers Could Exploit First AI Can’t Stop Every Attack. Learn How Zero Trust Can Block What’s Unknown Have You Outgrown Your MDR? 7 Warning Signs Every CISO Should Check","https:\u002F\u002Fthehackernews.com\u002F2026\u002F06\u002F152-chrome-wallpaper-extensions-with.html","https:\u002F\u002Fblogger.googleusercontent.com\u002Fimg\u002Fb\u002FR29vZ2xl\u002FAVvXsEjXEEp49DrIDRyHxMpdUoO-A9TL3T6P-7mUwImILVRSRl940D39uZbouVIhM1j8ZVEpxfTskTrLB5qrDDQ07yp7TFGTXSBhQqlwNLyN49sCW38MZds5YQP_c1lhrkl0aizSaU0ZpBpf9NS3WGD9k5BZhh52ZDuyrtxSwUrXgkjRnWMAgLq3FT6dLG0sCAfh\u002Fs1600\u002Fchrome-traffic.jpg","2026-06-15T11:07:50+00:00","2026-06-15T12:00:16.626076+00:00",8,[18,21,24,26],{"name":19,"type":20},"Chrome","product",{"name":22,"type":23},"Adware","technology",{"name":25,"type":23},"Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP)",{"name":27,"type":23},"Fake Traffic Generation","89f78b1c-3503-45a1-9fc7-e23d2ce1c6d5",{"id":28,"icon":30,"name":31,"slug":32},null,"Malware","malware",[34,39,41],{"category":35},{"id":36,"icon":30,"name":37,"slug":38},"614132b8-5837-4952-b8b5-c6c9a32a1d85","Privacy","privacy",{"category":40},{"id":28,"icon":30,"name":31,"slug":32},{"category":42},{"id":43,"icon":30,"name":44,"slug":45},"e7b231c8-5f79-4465-8d38-1ef13aea5a14","Threat Intelligence","threat-intelligence",[47,51,53],{"type":48,"value":49,"context":50},"domain","tabplugins[.]com","Brand backend domain associated with malicious Chrome extensions.",{"type":48,"value":52,"context":50},"yowgames[.]com",{"type":48,"value":54,"context":50},"chromewallpaper[.]com"]