30 copycat apps tricked users, and Google itself, into thinking they're legitimate AI tools.

The Chrome Web Store has been infested with dozens of malicious browser extensions claiming to provide AI assistant functionality but that secretly are siphoning off personal information from victims.

Researchers at LayerX identified 30 Google Chrome extensions that are carbon copies of one another, but for some superficial differences in how they're branded. Many of them are quite popular, with tens of thousands of downloads apiece. They all masquerade as AI assistants — and they do a pretty good job of pretending — but secretly steal email content, browser content, and anything else the user willingly feeds them. More here