If you use a Chrome extension to help you with ChatGPT or DeepSeek, you probably love the convenience. Having a smart assistant right in your sidebar feels like a superpower for summarizing notes or writing code.
But there is a hidden danger. Imagine that assistant is not just helping you. Imagine it is also making a secret copy of every single word you type and handing it to a stranger.
This is not a movie plot. It is a real crisis called Prompt Poaching.
How the Trap Works
Security experts recently found that two popular extensions were doing exactly this. Together, they had almost one million users. While they looked like helpful AI tools, they were actually built to spy.
The specific extensions to watch out for are:
- Chat GPT for Chrome with GPT-5, Claude Sonnet & DeepSeek AI (over 600,000 installs)
- AI Sidebar with Deepseek, ChatGPT, Claude, and more (over 300,000 installs)
The trick is simple. When you install these tools, they ask for permission to collect “anonymous data” to improve your experience. Most of us click “Accept” without thinking twice.
Once you say yes, the trap is set. Every 30 minutes, these extensions bundle up your full AI conversations and your entire browsing history. This includes:
- Private business strategies you discussed with an AI.
- Secret computer code you asked the AI to fix.
- Every website address you visited while the browser was open.
All of this data is sent to a remote server owned by the attackers. One of these tools even had a “Featured” badge from the Chrome store, which made people trust it even more.
A Cycle That is Hard to Break
The people behind this were clever. They designed the tools to be “sticky.” If you realized something was wrong and tried to delete the extension, it would automatically pop up a page tricking you into installing a “partner” version of the same malware.
For businesses, this is a nightmare. It means that even if your office walls are secure, your employees might be accidentally leaking company secrets through their browsers every day.
How to Stay Safe
The good news is that you can stop this right now. Open your Chrome settings and click on “Extensions.” Look for the names mentioned above. If you see them, or any extension you do not 100 percent trust, remove it immediately.
In the future, be very careful with “free” tools. If an extension asks to “read and change all your data on all websites,” ask yourself if a simple AI chat helper really needs to see your bank account or your private emails.
This is where Finstein steps in to protect your pulse. We specialize in finding these “quiet” vulnerabilities before they turn into disasters. Finstein provides automated discovery to find hidden extensions and deep scanning to identify which tools are putting your data at risk.
We help you close the gaps before the exploit scripts find them.
In the rush to use new AI technology, it is easy to forget about safety. Prompt Poaching is a reminder that convenience always has a price. Treat your browser extensions like strangers at the door: check their ID, limit where they can go, and never leave them alone with your secrets.
Don’t wait for a data leak to happen. Reach out to Finstein today for a comprehensive security audit and let us harden your infrastructure against emerging threats. Finstein Cyber — Cybersecurity & VAPT Services
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