A list of over 150 Chrome wallpaper extensions caught faking Google traffic & tracking users

Whether it’s a sleek dark mode or a dynamic wallpaper of my favorite football player or team, making my web browser feel a little more me is something I do on almost every device I own. But a new report from the security experts over at Socket has me seriously second-guessing my browser decor.

According to a deep-dive investigation first reported by Socket’s Threat Research Team, a massive network of 152 live wallpaper Chrome extensions is up to no good. With a combined total of over 105,000 installs, these seemingly harmless add-ons are secretly logging user data and pulling off an elaborate digital illusion to fake Google search traffic.

Here is how the scam works in plain English. When you install one of these extensions on Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Brave, Opera, or Vivaldi, it secretly opens up a web tab and tells internet analytics software, “Hey, a real human just searched for this on Google and clicked the link!” Even worse, when you uninstall the extension, it fires off a parting signal that perfectly mimics a genuine Google search click.

The network includes dozens of anime, football, gaming, and car-themed wallpaper extensions, including Neymar – Football Live Wallpaper, Satoru Gojo Manga Live Wallpaper, Hello Kitty Wallpapers HD New Tab, Minecraft Sakura Pond Live Wallpaper, Lamine Yamal Wallpapers HD Football, Arsenal FC Flag Live Wallpaper, and BMW M3 Neon Night Drive Live Wallpaper.

Why go through all this trouble? It’s all about the money.

By fabricating organic Google search traffic, the operators make their websites look wildly popular and trustworthy to the algorithm. Advertisers and ad networks pay top dollar for that kind of premium engagement, completely unaware that the traffic is just software running quietly in the background of our browsers.

What bothers me the most, however, is the sheer audacity of their privacy claims. If you look at these extensions on the Chrome Web Store, they boldly declare that they will not collect or use your data. Yet, Socket discovered that if you take the time to read their actual, linked privacy policies, the developers openly admit to logging your IP address, internet provider, and click habits. They then share that data with third-party ad networks.

The operators behind this scheme are incredibly sneaky, too. Rather than putting all 152 extensions under one developer account, they spread the exact same underlying code across 38 different publisher profiles and three main brands (TabPlugins, YowGames, and ChromeWallpaper). This hydra-like approach means that if Google catches one account and bans it, the rest of the network stays alive and keeps generating cash.

If you’ve recently installed a new live wallpaper or new-tab extension, it’s time to do a quick audit. I highly recommend heading into your Chrome extension settings and tossing out anything you don’t absolutely need, especially if it asks to override your new tab page or search engine.

Here’s the full list of all 152 Chrome extensions as published by Socket:

1. Neymar – Football Live Wallpaper
2. Satoru Gojo Manga Live Wallpaper
3. Porsche 911 – Sports Car Live Wallpaper
4. Satoru Gojo Live Wallpaper
5. Hello Kitty Wallpapers HD New Tab
6. Pusheen Cat Wallpapers HD New Tab
7. Peach & Goma Wallpapers HD New Tab
8. Spider-Man Miles Morales Swing Live Wallpaper
9. BMW M3 Neon Night Drive Live Wallpaper
10. BMW Wallpapers
11. Death Note Anime Wallpapers HD New Tab
12. Sonic Frontiers Starfall Live Wallpaper
13. Tanjiro – Demon Slayer Live Wallpaper
14. Neymar New Tab Wallpaper
15. Anime Car Drift Live Wallpaper
16. Choso Wallpapers New Tab
17. Anime Rain Live Wallpaper
18. Minecraft Sakura Pond Live Wallpaper
19. Straw Hat Live Wallpaper Ghost of Tsushima
20. Zenitsu Agatsuma Live Wallpaper
21. Lamine Yamal Wallpapers HD Football
22. FNAF Live Wallpaper
23. Ryomen Sukuna Sorcerer Live Wallpaper
24. Pochacco Live Wallpaper
25. Messi Wallpapers HD Football
26. Kuromi Love Live Wallpaper
27. Eren Yeager Live Wallpaper
28. Black Clover New Tab Wallpaper
29. Jon Snow Wolf Live Wallpaper
30. Kuromi Wallpapers HD New Tab
31. Cinnamoroll Wallpapers HD New Tab
32. Hello Kitty Friends Live Wallpaper
33. Sung Jinwoo – Solo Leveling Live Wallpaper
34. Corocoro Coronya Live Wallpaper
35. Hollow Knight Silksong Live Wallpaper
36. Call of Duty Ghost Live Wallpaper
37. Itachi Uchiha Live Wallpaper
38. Hello Kitty Live Wallpaper Sanrio
39. Minions Wallpapers New Tab
40. Nissan Skyline R34 Live Wallpaper
41. Ferrari F1 Car Live Wallpaper
42. Real Madrid Emblem Live Wallpaper
43. Dante Devil May Cry Live Wallpaper
44. Labubi Live Wallpaper
45. Chiikawa Wallpapers New Tab
46. Ghost Modern Warfare Live Wallpaper
47. Kimetsu no Yaiba Wallpapers New Tab
48. Miyamoto Musashi Live Wallpaper
49. Kuromi Live Wallpaper
50. Ken Kaneki Tokyo Ghoul Live Wallpaper
51. Naruto – Kakashi Hatake Live Wallpaper
52. Astronaut Grok Black Hole Live Wallpaper
53. Hornet Hollow Knight Live Wallpaper
54. Invincible Sky Flight Live Wallpaper
55. Powerpuff Girls Live Wallpaper
56. Goku & Shenron Live Wallpaper
57. Malenia – Elden Ring Live Wallpaper
58. Hashibira Inosuke and Zenitsu Live Wallpaper
59. Kratos Live Wallpaper
60. Goku Rain Flame Live Wallpaper
61. Black Nissan GTR Rainy Night Live Wallpaper
62. My Hero Academia Wallpapers New Tab
63. Dipper & Mabel’s Adventures Live Wallpaper
64. Haikyuu Kenma Kozume Live Wallpaper
65. My Melody Wallpapers New Tab
66. Gojo Blue Eyes Live Wallpaper
67. Berserker Armor Live Wallpaper
68. Bumblebee Live Wallpaper
69. Lamine Yamal Galaxy Live Wallpaper
70. Arsenal FC Flag Live Wallpaper
71. Rengoku Wallpapers New Tab
72. Kaonashi Live Wallpaper
73. Berserker Dark Armor Live Wallpaper
74. Haikyuu Wallpapers New Tab
75. Gojo Reversal Red Live Wallpaper
76. Gachiakuta Wallpapers New Tab
77. Tiger Live Wallpaper
78. Purple Sakura Live Wallpaper
79. Guts Beast of Darkness Live Wallpaper
80. Berserk Wallpapers New Tab
81. Dr. Stone Wallpapers New Tab
82. Anime Boy Wallpapers New Tab
83. Manchester United Flag Live Wallpaper
84. BMW M4 Wallpapers New Tab
85. Ace Smile One Piece Live Wallpaper
86. Lone Samurai Live Wallpaper
87. Porsche 911 Wallpapers New Tab
88. Minecraft Creeper Live Wallpaper
89. Autumn Lamborghini Live Wallpaper
90. Minato & Naruto Live Wallpaper
91. Hitsugaya Toshiro Live Wallpaper
92. Nissan GTR Wallpapers New Tab
93. Boruto Uzumaki Live Wallpaper
94. Bart Simpson Live Wallpaper
95. Audi RS Wallpapers New Tab
96. Keroppi Wallpapers New Tab
97. GTA 6 Wallpapers New Tab
98. Deadpool Live Wallpaper
99. Minecraft Sword Live Wallpaper
100. Chelsea FC Live Wallpaper
101. Rengoku Live Wallpaper Demon Slayer
102. Sasuke Uchiha Wallpapers New Tab
103. Pokemon Wallpapers New Tab
104. Mercedes-AMG Wallpapers New Tab
105. Puss in Boots Live Wallpaper
106. Honda CBR1000RR-R Live Wallpaper
107. Saitama Live Wallpaper – One Punch Man
108. Lamborghini Autumn Live Wallpaper
109. Angry Birds Wallpapers New Tab
110. Ducati Wallpapers New Tab
111. Attack on Titan Wallpapers New Tab
112. Porsche 911 Turbo Live Wallpaper
113. Pink Hello Kitty Live Wallpaper
114. Chibi Anime Wallpapers New Tab
115. Lionel Messi Power Live Wallpaper
116. Brook Live Wallpaper – One Piece
117. Rick and Morty Wallpapers New Tab
118. Denji Wallpapers New Tab
119. Mercedes-Benz E-Class Wallpapers New Tab
120. Harley Davidson Wallpapers New Tab
121. Mickey Mouse Wallpapers New Tab
122. Lamborghini Urus Wallpapers New Tab
123. Baki Hanma Wallpapers New Tab
124. Fallout Vault Boy Live Wallpaper
125. Mob Psycho 100 Wallpapers New Tab
126. Ghost of Yotei Live Wallpaper
127. BMW 8 Series Wallpapers New Tab
128. Guts Wallpapers New Tab
129. Hunter x Hunter Wallpapers New Tab
130. PUBG Wallpapers New Tab
131. Aggretsuko Live Wallpaper
132. Dark Anime Wallpapers New Tab
133. Naruto Live Wallpaper – Uzumaki Hokage
134. Care Bears Wallpapers New Tab
135. Doom Rampage Live Wallpaper
136. Izuku Midoriya Wallpapers New Tab
137. Cristiano Ronaldo Golden Live Wallpaper
138. Gintoki Sakata Wallpapers New Tab
139. Katsuki Bakugo Wallpapers New Tab
140. Kaiju No. 8 Wallpapers New Tab
141. Animal Crossing – Dōbutsu no Mori Live Wallpaper

Delisted Chrome extensions identified by Socket

142. jdjkbjmobobfehaohkkbenbnnaaocabc (Delisted)
143. imfibcedgmmmdikffoeipdnojhgbhjob (Delisted)
144. dljjhjgmkimljkfjboioacmepefoedlh (Delisted)
145. ijgfnklhknbjfjjbacefdgpjbkjdkfoc (Delisted)
146. ooiaicknajbjkknpnfchbgcdhmfligaj (Delisted)
147. objpdomhddblhffemlhmefbpelblakgn (Delisted)
148. kaihdoeelgmhphjindgnehgiekjeleip (Delisted)
149. dlppampnbpddlmkecbbgkgkhamchmfle (Delisted)
150. gnlmghadjomllhknpmaglmmkbabifaal (Delisted)
151. ljblneelmbapgfcbmphbnnkdofmnldjp (Delisted)
152. gdeeoecplcaghjdbpfiddgemdgdmnpbo (Delisted)

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