737 VPN Extensions Threaten User Privacy

A recent investigation uncovered 737 free VPN and proxy extensions that intercept browser traffic and redirect it through a network of state‑controlled proxies. They were published across at least 40 Chrome Web Store developer accounts and together have over 75,486 installations, according to a recent report from The Hacker News¹.

These extensions primarily target Russian‑speaking users who seek access to services blocked by their governments. While they claim to provide “unrestricted” connectivity, in reality they funnel intercepted traffic into a proxy infrastructure controlled by entities linked to Russian authorities, raising immediate concerns about privacy and potential data harvesting¹.

Security specialists note that the same proxy hijacking techniques have historically enabled large‑scale spyware deployments such as NSO Group’s Pegasus suite. In past incidents, similar schemes compromised hundreds of thousands of devices worldwide—including journalists and human rights activists—by allowing attackers to install spyware or monitor communications without detection. The current extensions appear almost certainly to employ this model, creating a persistent surveillance risk for anyone who keeps them active¹.

In practice, most affected users will notice only reduced browsing speeds when using these extensions because the traffic must travel through additional hops. However, speed loss is just one symptom; the real danger lies in the fact that every request made while an extension is active can be read and recorded by whoever controls the proxy servers. Because the proxies are state‑controlled, there is no guarantee that user data remains confidential or that it won't be used for targeted censorship or intelligence gathering¹.

Given the scale of installations and the clear link to state‑controlled infrastructure, experts recommend that Google immediately disable all listed malicious VPN extensions pending forensic analysis. Removing them would reduce the attack surface and protect millions of Chrome users from inadvertent exposure to government‑backed surveillance¹.