
According to a recent announcement published on Mozilla’s blog, the foundation has introduced a new security feature for the Firefox Add-ons marketplace. This enhancement is designed to automatically detect whether browser extensions exhibit behavior associated with malicious attempts to steal users’ cryptocurrency wallets.
This newly implemented security rating policy specifically targets cryptocurrency wallet-related extensions. When developers submit such extensions, Mozilla will automatically generate a risk assessment report. Should the risk level surpass a predefined threshold, an alert will be triggered without manual intervention.
Extensions that raise red flags will be subjected to manual review by Mozilla’s staff. Reviewers will conduct a thorough inspection, and if the extension is deemed a security risk, it will be promptly removed from the add-ons store.
The motivation behind developing this system stems from the proliferation of malicious extensions crafted to pilfer users’ crypto wallet credentials and assets. Numerous incidents have already occurred in which rogue extensions masqueraded as legitimate wallet services, luring users into inputting seed phrases or recovery mnemonics, only to subsequently drain their funds.
For non-expert users in the cryptocurrency space, participation in airdrops or reward campaigns often entails installing extensions and connecting their wallets. Threat actors exploit this by tricking users into surrendering their seed phrases, thereby gaining unauthorized access to their digital assets.
Andreas Wagner, Firefox Add-ons’ Operations Manager and the person overseeing extension content safety and review, noted that his team has already identified and removed hundreds of such malicious extensions over the past few years.