Malicious Chrome extensions found stealing Meta Business data and 2FA material
Researchers warn that seemingly legitimate Chrome extensions can exfiltrate high-value business data and even time-based one-time password (TOTP) seeds, enabling account takeovers when paired with stolen credentials. Separate campaigns also abused “AI assistant” branding to siphon emails and browsing data at scale.
The Hacker News highlights multiple cases where **malicious Chrome extensions** masquerade as useful tools but secretly steal sensitive data.
## The core case: “CL Suite” targeting Meta Business
According to the report (citing Socket research), an extension marketed for Meta Business Suite/Facebook Business Manager tasks can:
- Export **Business Manager contact lists** and analytics data
- Exfiltrate **TOTP seeds and current 2FA codes** to attacker-controlled infrastructure
The danger is not only data theft. If an attacker already has a victim’s password (e.g., from an infostealer log or credential dump), stolen 2FA material can enable **rapid account takeover**.
## Broader trend: extension-based account hijacking
The article also notes:
- A large campaign (“VK Styles”) where extensions posing as customization tools hijacked VKontakte accounts, forced subscriptions, and maintained persistence.
- Another cluster (“AiFrame”) where “AI assistant” extensions embedded remote, server-controlled interfaces to extract content from tabs and, in some cases, **read Gmail content** and send it off-device.
## Why it matters
Browser extensions sit inside the user’s most privileged workflow: logged-in web sessions. When they request broad permissions, they can become **quiet, durable exfiltration points**.
## Practical guidance
- Keep extensions to a minimum; remove anything you don’t actively use.
- Review requested permissions carefully (especially access to *all sites*, mail.google.com, or business dashboards).
- For teams: use browser management policies, separate profiles for admin/business work, and continuous extension audits.
Source: The Hacker News (see link below).
Source: The Hacker News