CYBERSECURITYTRACKER
TRACKING6,506 stories in this site build1,309 vulnerability news stories in this site build
Permanent story citation

Security researchers find stalkers abusing Chrome’s sync feature

This page keeps the story as Cybersecurity Tracker first published it. If the tracker later corrects it, the correction appears below the original and never replaces it.

Back to newsStory 2637

As cited

Copy frozen at (site build).

threat intel

Security researchers find stalkers abusing Chrome’s sync feature

Cyberstalkers are exploiting Google Chrome's sync feature to monitor victims' browsing history and access stored passwords by signing into a separate Google account on a target's phone. Researchers at Certo Software documented cases where attackers needed only brief physical access to enable sync, allowing surveillance from any device worldwide. The misuse reflects a shift toward exploiting legitimate app functionality as traditional spyware becomes harder to deploy on modern smartphones.

Why it matters: Domestic abuse victims, privacy-conscious users, and anyone with shared device access are vulnerable to this low-friction surveillance technique; security practitioners should advise organizations and individuals on Chrome sync risks and Google's lack of account-addition notifications or sync status indicators.

Source published
First seen by Cybersecurity Tracker

Source attribution

Correction

Correction recorded as of .

threat intel

Security researchers find stalkers abusing Chrome’s sync feature

Cyberstalkers are exploiting Google Chrome's sync feature to monitor victims' browsing history and access stored passwords by signing into a separate Google account on a target's phone. Researchers at Certo Software documented cases where attackers needed only brief physical access to enable sync, allowing surveillance from any device worldwide. The misuse reflects a shift toward exploiting legitimate app functionality as traditional spyware becomes harder to deploy on modern smartphones.

Why it matters: Domestic abuse victims, privacy-conscious users, and anyone with shared device access are vulnerable to this low-friction surveillance technique; security practitioners should advise organizations and individuals on Chrome sync risks and Google's lack of account-addition notifications or sync status indicators.

VendorsGoogle
Source published
First seen by Cybersecurity Tracker

Source attribution

Glossary