Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered a network of 152 Google Chrome extensions, which function as new tab live wallpaper add-ons, designed to distribute a family of potentially unwanted programs (PUPs).
This group spans 38 distinct Chrome Web Store publisher accounts and three brand backends: tabplugins[.]com, yowgames[.]com, and chromewallpaper[.]com. Collectively, they have been installed 105,000 times. Below is a list of some of the extension names:
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 claims 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," said Socket security researcher Kush Pandya.
Furthermore, a sub-cluster of the identified extensions defines two hard-coded URLs in a JavaScript file ("js/bg.js") that are triggered during install and uninstall operations:
The install URL includes 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 conceals the uninstall as genuine Google Search activity.
Organic search on search engines like Google refers to the unpaid listings on a search engine results page (SERP) generated by algorithms. Their placement is based on factors such as relevance, authority, and search engine optimization (SEO), and differs from sponsored results.
The purpose behind these extensions, Socket stated, 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 labeling 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 include 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 origin remains unknown. Available circumstantial indicators suggest it may have originated from Turkey.