Cybersecurity firm Socket uncovered the scheme and reported that the extension — titled Crypto Copilot — inserts a hidden fee into each swap. Instead of draining entire wallets in a single hit (the hallmark of most Solana-focused malware), the attacker opted for a slower and less noticeable method: taking a small cut from every trade.
Socket’s review of the code revealed that Crypto Copilot routes swaps through Raydium, a popular Solana DEX. But before users approve the transaction, the extension adds an extra instruction that funnels part of the trade — a minimum of 0.0013 SOL or roughly 0.05% of the swap value — to the attacker.
The extension relies on the fact that most users only review the high-level summary shown in the wallet approval window. Because both transfers execute in the same transaction, there is no visible indication that a second transfer is taking place.
Crypto Copilot has been available on the Chrome Web Store since June 18, 2024. According to the storefront listing, it has 15 active users, though the exact number affected by unauthorized transfers is unclear.
The extension marketed itself as a productivity upgrade — enabling Solana swaps without leaving the X interface — which likely helped it avoid early suspicion. Socket says it has already requested that Google remove the listing, but the plug-in remained accessible at the time of reporting.
This is not an isolated case. Malicious Chrome extensions have become one of the most effective attack vectors targeting crypto users:
Security researchers caution that Chrome extensions have become a preferred target because users often accept permission prompts without understanding the access being granted.
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