Field notes from the edge.
What our engineers learned this week. Hands-on technical deep-dives, postmortems, and strategy frameworks.
AI152 Chrome Wallpaper Extensions with 105K Installs Linked to Adware and Fake Traffic
Cybersecurity researchers have identified 152 malicious Google Chrome extensions disguised as wallpaper and new tab add-ons that distribute potentially unwanted programs (PUPs). These extensions, spread across 38 publisher accounts and linked to three brand backends, have been installed approximately 105,000 times, representing a significant adware and fake traffic distribution network.
AINew FROST Attack Lets Websites Track What Sites and Apps You Open via SSD Timing
Researchers at Graz University of Technology have discovered FROST, a new attack vector that allows malicious websites to track users' browsing activity and application usage through JavaScript-based SSD timing analysis. The attack requires no special permissions, native code, or browser extensions, operating silently in the background by monitoring storage drive contention patterns.
AIFirefox integrates an ad-blocker, but not to block ads
Firefox 149 has quietly integrated Brave's Rust-based ad-blocking engine (adblock-rs) into its codebase, but the feature is disabled by default and not intended for consumer ad-blocking purposes. Mozilla appears to be experimenting with the technology for other use cases, while the privacy-focused Waterfox browser fork is actively testing the same engine as a built-in ad-blocker. Users can manuall