List of Malicious Chrome Extensions

Shortcuts aren’t just for keyboards. Digital browsers use various online shortcuts regularly — like web extensions — which can help them surf the web quickly.

Unfortunately, not all shortcuts are safe and secure. Our list of malicious Chrome extensions reveals the dangers lurking behind unlisted, poorly scanned and third-party downloads freely available across the web. 

Premium protective services from Panda Security can help keep your browsers and devices safe — even from malicious extensions. Pairing these protections with knowledge about dangerous add-ons, how to detect them and ways to remove them can help online users navigate the web without compromising privacy and security.

What Is a Browser Extension?

A browser extension is software that does exactly as the name suggests: it extends your browser — or specific browser tools — to other webpages. These extensions can analyze information, modify or edit user actions and provide additional functionality across various browsing sites.

Some of the most common browser extensions are Grammarly, AdBlock, LastPass, Google Calendar and Scribe. While most browser extensions are harmless and can be incredibly useful, users are still able to unknowingly download malicious software that can access personal information or cause damage to devices.

Popular Malicious Chrome Extensions

Google’s Chrome is the most popular web browser across the globe, supporting more than 130,000 unique browser extensions. Most of these unique extensions are safe and supported by Chrome itself, but a few popular extensions have been identified as malicious. 

These malicious Chrome extensions can contain malware, insert affiliate links into webpages and internally damage systems. This list includes some of the most notorious extensions Chrome users should be aware of.

Netflix Party

Designed to allow synchronized media viewing, the Netflix Party extension was actually used for affiliate links. This add-on would track a user’s digital footprint and inject affiliate links into appropriate pages. The owners of this extension can then make a profit based on the user’s browsing history.

Netflix Party 2

Netflix Party 2 was similar to its…