cross-posted from !google@lemdro.id
Original source: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2308.16321.pdf
- Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison found that Chrome browser extensions can still steal passwords, despite compliance with Chrome’s latest security standard, Manifest V3.
- A proof of concept extension successfully passed the Chrome Web Store review process, demonstrating the vulnerability.
- The core issue lies in the extensions’ full access to the Document Object Model (DOM) of web pages, allowing them to interact with text input fields like passwords.
- Analysis of existing extensions showed that 12.5% had the permissions to exploit this vulnerability, identifying 190 extensions that directly access password fields.
- Researchers propose two fixes: a JavaScript library for websites to block unwanted access to password fields, and a browser-level alert system for password field interactions.
Because they literally tout security as one of the primary reasons for forcing it onto people.
https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/mv3/intro/
The first line is “A step in the direction of security, privacy, and performance.”
https://developer.chrome.com/blog/mv2-transition/
“Manifest V3 is more secure, performant, and privacy-preserving than its predecessor.”
It’s the first thing they say.
If it doesn’t prevent a malicious extension from lifting your password in perhaps the most dumb and naive way I can think of, then it seems fairly disingenuous to describe it as “secure”.