355/69 Wednesday, July 1, 2026
Security researchers from Microsoft have detected a malicious Google Chrome browser extension impersonating the AI search tool Perplexity. The extension secretly records search data and every character users type into the address bar. Although Google has already removed the extension from its application store after receiving the investigation report, the incident reflects a growing cyber threat trend in which attackers abuse the popularity of AI technology as a tool to deceive users and collect their data without authorization.
The malicious extension was named Search for perplexity ai. Once installed, it modified the browser’s default search engine settings. According to the examined manifest file structure, the extension used commands to change the primary search configuration to point to an impersonation domain named perplexity-ai.online, both for normal searches and search suggestion requests. As a result, every character typed and every search query was sent directly to the attacker’s server to collect the user’s IP address and system information before being redirected back to the legitimate search results page to avoid detection. In addition, the extension requested advanced network routing permissions, which are unnecessary for a typical search tool.
Users who have installed the extension should remove it from their systems immediately and check whether their browser’s default search engine settings have been changed. For organizations, administrators should consider enforcing policies that allow only security-verified extensions to be installed. They should also monitor for suspicious changes to browser settings, unusual extension permissions, and network connections to unknown domains. In addition, users should exercise greater caution when downloading software promoted with AI brand names and should verify the publisher name and official website domain before installation to reduce the risk of personal data exposure.
Source: https://thehackernews.com/2026/06/malicious-perplexity-chrome-extension.html