Reported by 1 outlet
Unit 42 Exposes 18 Malicious AI Browser Extensions — RATs, Stealers, and Spyware
Why this score
- Breadth
- 0.50 / 2.0 · 1 source
- Authority
- 1.00 / 2.0 · best outlet weight
- Severity
- 0.50 / 5.0 · CVSS + content signals
- Velocity
- 0.00 / 2.0 · updates in 48h
- Pickup speed
- 0.00 / 0.6 · time to second source
- Recency
- × 0.00 temporal multiplier
- Community
- + 0.00 / 1.5 · reddit signal
- Score
- 0.0 / 10 = base × recency + community
Timeline
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original reporting
Unit 42 Exposes 18 Malicious AI Browser Extensions — RATs, Stealers, and Spyware
unit42.paloaltonetworks.com · 166d ago · May 1st, 2026
Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 identified 18 high-risk Chrome extensions masquerading as AI productivity tools, delivering a range of malware including remote access Trojans, infostealers, search hijackers, brand impersonators, and spyware. Notable findings include: an MCP-themed RAT ("Chrome MCP Server") with over 30 remote commands and persistent WebSocket C2; an email surveillance extension ("Supersonic AI") that exfiltrates Gmail content including OTPs in plaintext; a job application assistant ("Reverse Recruiting") that steals OpenAI, Gemini, and Claude API keys; and a Chinese translation extension that deploys remote proxy PAC scripts to route all user traffic through attacker infrastructure. Multiple extensions contained AI-generated code fingerprints, indicating threat actors are using LLMs to accelerate malware production. All 18 extensions were reported to Google and either removed or warned. Organizations should audit installed browser extensions against the published extension IDs and treat browser add-ons with the same vetting rigor as any third-party application.