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Google Chrome ships a default, hidden extension that allows code on *.google.com access to private APIs, including your current CPU usage (fedi.simonwillison.net)

submitted 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) by Andromxda@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/technology@lemmy.world

199 comments fedilink hide all child comments

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/23752739

https://simonwillison.net/2024/Jul/9/hangout_servicesthunkjs/

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[–] VelvetStorm@lemmy.world 17 points 4 months ago (16 children)

Can someone explain this to me like I'm 5. I understand it's not good but I don't know why and I would like to understand it.

[–] JustARegularNerd@lemmy.world 54 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (15 children)

Effectively Google has a browser extension (just like the ones you'd install from the Chrome Web Store like uBlock Origin) that comes with the browser that's hidden.

This extension allows Google to see additional information about your computer that extensions and websites don't normally have access to, such as checking how much load your PC has or directly handing over hardware information like the make and model of your professor.

The big concern in the comments is that this could be used for fingerprinting your browser, even in Incognito mode.

What this essentially means is that even though the browser may not have any cookies saved or any other usual tracking methods, your browser can still be recognised by how it behaves on your machine in particular, and this hidden extension allows Google to retrieve additional information to further narrow down your browser and therefore who you are (as they can link this behaviour and data to when you've used Google with that browser signed in), even in Incognito mode.

[–] VelvetStorm@lemmy.world 4 points 4 months ago (6 children)

Thank you for this info. If this is just an extension, can we just uninstall it or turn it off?

[–] daq@lemmy.sdf.org 16 points 4 months ago (1 children)

This is not a typical extension and it cannot be removed. It doesn't even show up in the list of installed extensions.

[–] Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Maybe recompiling? But I suspect that Chrome as it is, is closed source?

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 6 points 4 months ago

Chromium is open source. Google Chrome is not open source.

[–] ABasilPlant@lemmy.world 5 points 4 months ago (1 children)

https://github.com/ungoogled-software/ungoogled-chromium

https://ungoogled-software.github.io/ungoogled-chromium-binaries/

[–] Katana314@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Seems like a great option. Can anyone more familiar with the code confirm this removes the aforementioned CPU-fingerprinting plugin?

[–] Andromxda@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 4 months ago

It does. You can even try it out yourself. Install Ungoogled Chromium, go to google.com and paste the following code in the Developer console (which you can bring up by pressing F12 and clicking on 'Console' at the top of the DevTools interface):

    chrome.runtime.sendMessage(
      "nkeimhogjdpnpccoofpliimaahmaaome",
      { method: "cpu.getInfo" },
      (response) => {
        console.log(JSON.stringify(response, null, 2));
      },
    );

If it returns nothing or an error, you're good. If it returns something like this:

{
  "value": {
    "archName": "arm64",
    "features": [],
    "modelName": "Apple M2 Max",
    "numOfProcessors": 12,
    "processors": [
      {
        "usage": {
          "idle": 26890137,
          "kernel": 5271531,
          "total": 42525857,
          "user": 10364189
        }
      }, ...

it means that the hidden extension is present, and *.google.com sites have special access in your browser.

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