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Attackers can reach users through a trusted Chrome extension without persuading each person to install a fake one: they can target the developer account that publishes updates. SquareX said it uncovered a phishing campaign that tricked Chrome extension developers into authorizing a malicious OAuth app, and it reported the attack shortly before a malicious Cyberhaven extension update appeared in December 2024.
How the OAuth attack worked
SquareX’s December 30, 2024 release said it had reported large-scale attacks against Chrome extension developers about a week earlier. Its account describes a phishing email designed to look like a Chrome Web Store notice about an alleged Developer Agreement violation. The message pressured the recipient to accept a policy action to avoid having their extension removed.
The link led to a flow asking the developer to connect a Google account to a purported “Privacy Policy Extension.” According to SquareX, authorizing that OAuth app gave the attacker the ability to edit, update, and publish extensions associated with the developer account. The attack therefore targeted the publisher’s access—not just the people who use an extension. SquareX’s disclosure describes the phishing flow and its claimed permissions.
Why a trusted listing mattered
With publishing access, an attacker could distribute a malicious update through an existing extension listing. Users who already trusted and installed that extension could receive the update through its established channel; they did not each have to find and install a newly named fake extension. SquareX’s later incident explainer describes this as an abuse of the extension update path.
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What SquareX said happened to Cyberhaven
SquareX said a malicious version of Cyberhaven’s browser extension was published in the Chrome Web Store on December 25, 2024, and remained available for more than 30 hours before Cyberhaven removed it. SquareX described the version as capable of hijacking authenticated sessions and exfiltrating confidential information; its incident explainer discusses cookie and session theft and data exfiltration from SaaS applications. These are SquareX’s descriptions of the attack and its capabilities, not an independently established count of people whose data was stolen.
SquareX’s release said Cyberhaven’s extension listing showed more than 400,000 users at the time. That listing figure is not a verified count of affected people. The release also said Cyberhaven had declined to comment on the extent of the impact at that time, so the available account does not establish a Cyberhaven-specific victim total or loss figure. SquareX’s December 2024 release provides its account of the incident.
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How large was the wider campaign?
The UAE Cyber Security Council’s January 2, 2025 advisory reported that at least 36 Chrome extensions had been compromised, affecting approximately 2.6 million users in total. Those figures describe the wider campaign cited by the Council; they are not Cyberhaven-specific confirmed victim numbers. The advisory also recommends actions for organizations and users responding to potentially affected extensions. Read the Council advisory.
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The key control point in SquareX’s account is the OAuth consent granted by the developer. An authorization that allows a third-party app to publish or modify extensions should be treated as a sensitive supply-chain permission, not as routine sign-in.
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- Verify policy warnings independently through the official developer console or a known support channel instead of following an unexpected email link.
- Before approving an OAuth app, check who operates it and what access it requests. Do not grant publishing permissions unless they are necessary and the app is trusted.
- Review which accounts and third-party apps can publish or modify extensions, and remove access that is no longer needed.
- For organizations, maintain an approved extension list and review changes to already-approved extensions as well as requests to install new ones.
SquareX founder Vivek Ramachandran said in the company’s December 30, 2024 release: “Companies need to remain vigilant and minimize their supply chain risk without hampering employee productivity by equipping them with the right browser native tools.” This is SquareX’s statement; its release also promotes the company’s own browser security product, whose effectiveness is not independently assessed by the incident account.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What users and organizations should do if an extension may be affected
The UAE Cyber Security Council advises users and organizations to remove or disable affected extensions and take account-level precautions. Its recommended response includes:
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- Remove or disable affected extensions immediately.
- Rotate passwords and API tokens that may have been exposed.
- Audit installed Chrome extensions and limit installation to an approved list.
- Monitor for suspicious activity and data exfiltration.
- Establish a formal extension management policy.
The incident described here took place in December 2024, and the Council’s advisory is dated January 2, 2025. These sources do not provide a current list of affected extension IDs or active indicators, so use a current authoritative advisory for operational identification and remediation details.
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