Browser Hijacking Techniques: Some education required

Dec. 21, 2025, 6:57 p.m.

Description

This article examines three distinct browser hijacking techniques. The first involves directly modifying browser preference files, such as Firefox's pref.js and Chrome's Preferences and Secure Preferences. The second technique, dubbed BRAT (Browser Remote Access Tool), simulates key presses to control browsers remotely, allowing for unwanted tab openings and search engine swaps. The third method exploits a Chromium command line switch to load malicious extensions, while disabling browser updates to maintain its functionality. These techniques demonstrate the evolving nature of browser hijacking and the need for improved security measures and detection methods.

Date

  • Created: Dec. 10, 2025, 7:31 p.m.
  • Published: Dec. 10, 2025, 7:31 p.m.
  • Modified: Dec. 21, 2025, 6:57 p.m.

Indicators

  • 1d9bebfec33fa5a5381f0d1fcc3a57e83a2f693a2e0d688cdb86abfa7484a28d
  • 6ae8c50e3b800a6a0bff787e1e24dbc84fb8f5138e5516ebbdc17f980b471512
  • 6022fd372dca7d6d366d9df894e8313b7f0bd821035dd9fa7c860b14e8c414f2
  • 847a629e3f3c4068c26201ed5e727cda98b3ac3d832061feae0708ff8007d4fb
  • a1c49a02d19bb93e45a0ec6c331bba7e615c6f05ae43d0dfd36cf4d8e2534c6a

Attack Patterns