A list of over 150 Chrome wallpaper extensions caught faking Google traffic & tracking users [U]

Update 16/06/26 – 09:08 am (IST): After publication, PiunikaWeb received a response from the owner of owhit.com, yowgames.com, and the Chrome Wallpaper extension, who disputed parts of our report and said the properties are solely owned and operated by him, with no affiliation to TabPlugins or any other third party.

They also said the source code for his applications is publicly inspectable, that the extensions only display the selected wallpaper and show a standard uninstall page when removed, and that the ChromeWallpaper redirect mentioned in our report was a security measure implemented after attacks on the site.

The original report by Socket from where we got the information has not yet been updated with any clarifications regarding the claims made.

Original unedited article published on June 15, 2026, follows:

Whether it’s a sleek dark mode or a dynamic wallpaper of my favorite football player or team, making my web browser feel a little more me is something I do on almost every device I own. But a new report from the security experts over at Socket has me seriously second-guessing my browser decor.

According to a deep-dive investigation first reported by Socket’s Threat Research Team, a massive network of 152 live wallpaper Chrome extensions is up to no good. With a combined total of over 105,000 installs, these seemingly harmless add-ons are secretly logging user data and pulling off an elaborate digital illusion to fake Google search traffic.

Here is how the scam works in plain English. When you install one of these extensions on Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Brave, Opera, or Vivaldi, it secretly opens up a web tab and tells internet analytics software, “Hey, a real human just searched for this on Google and clicked the link!” Even worse, when you uninstall the extension, it fires off a parting signal that perfectly mimics a genuine Google search click.

The network includes dozens of anime, football, gaming, and car-themed wallpaper extensions, including Neymar – Football Live Wallpaper, Satoru Gojo Manga Live Wallpaper, Hello Kitty Wallpapers HD New Tab, Minecraft Sakura Pond Live Wallpaper, Lamine Yamal Wallpapers HD Football, Arsenal FC Flag Live Wallpaper, and BMW M3 Neon Night Drive Live Wallpaper.

Why go through all this trouble? It’s all about the money.

By fabricating organic Google search traffic, the operators make their websites look wildly popular and trustworthy to the algorithm. Advertisers and ad networks pay top dollar for that kind of premium engagement, completely unaware that the traffic is just software running quietly in the background of our browsers.

What bothers me the most, however, is the sheer audacity of their privacy claims. If you look at these extensions on the Chrome Web Store, they boldly declare that they will not collect or use your data. Yet, Socket discovered that if you take the time to read their actual, linked privacy policies, the developers openly admit to logging your IP address, internet provider, and click habits. They then share that data with third-party ad networks.

The operators behind this scheme are incredibly sneaky, too. Rather than putting all 152 extensions under one developer account, they spread the exact same underlying code across 38 different publisher profiles and three main brands (TabPlugins, YowGames, and ChromeWallpaper). This hydra-like approach means that if Google catches one account and bans it, the rest of the network stays alive and keeps generating cash.

Vinland Saga Live wallpaper by ChromeWallpaper

If you’ve recently installed a new live wallpaper or new-tab extension, it’s time to do a quick audit. I highly recommend heading into your Chrome extension settings and tossing out anything you don’t absolutely need, especially if it asks to override your new tab page or search engine.

Here’s the full list of all 152 Chrome extensions as published by Socket:

1. Neymar – Football Live Wallpaper

2. Satoru Gojo Manga Live Wallpaper

3. Porsche 911 – Sports Car Live Wallpaper

4. Satoru Gojo Live Wallpaper

5. Hello Kitty Wallpapers HD New Tab

6. Pusheen Cat Wallpapers HD New Tab

7. Peach & Goma Wallpapers HD New Tab

8. Spider-Man Miles Morales Swing Live Wallpaper

9. BMW M3 Neon Night Drive Live Wallpaper

10. BMW Wallpapers

11. Death Note Anime Wallpapers HD New Tab

12. Sonic Frontiers Starfall Live Wallpaper

13. Tanjiro – Demon Slayer Live Wallpaper

14. Neymar New Tab Wallpaper

15. Anime Car Drift Live Wallpaper

16. Choso Wallpapers New Tab

17. Anime Rain Live Wallpaper

18. Minecraft Sakura Pond Live Wallpaper

19. Straw Hat Live Wallpaper Ghost of Tsushima

20. Zenitsu Agatsuma Live Wallpaper

21. Lamine Yamal Wallpapers HD Football

22. FNAF Live Wallpaper

23. Ryomen Sukuna Sorcerer Live Wallpaper

24. Pochacco Live Wallpaper

25. Messi Wallpapers HD Football

26. Kuromi Love Live Wallpaper

27. Eren Yeager Live Wallpaper

28. Black Clover New Tab Wallpaper

29. Jon Snow Wolf Live Wallpaper

30. Kuromi Wallpapers HD New Tab

31. Cinnamoroll Wallpapers HD New Tab

32. Hello Kitty Friends Live Wallpaper

33. Sung Jinwoo – Solo Leveling Live Wallpaper

34. Corocoro Coronya Live Wallpaper

35. Hollow Knight Silksong Live Wallpaper

36. Call of Duty Ghost Live Wallpaper

37. Itachi Uchiha Live Wallpaper

38. Hello Kitty Live Wallpaper Sanrio

39. Minions Wallpapers New Tab

40. Nissan Skyline R34 Live Wallpaper

41. Ferrari F1 Car Live Wallpaper

42. Real Madrid Emblem Live Wallpaper

43. Dante Devil May Cry Live Wallpaper

44. Labubi Live Wallpaper

45. Chiikawa Wallpapers New Tab

46. Ghost Modern Warfare Live Wallpaper

47. Kimetsu no Yaiba Wallpapers New Tab

48. Miyamoto Musashi Live Wallpaper

49. Kuromi Live Wallpaper

50. Ken Kaneki Tokyo Ghoul Live Wallpaper

51. Naruto – Kakashi Hatake Live Wallpaper

52. Astronaut Grok Black Hole Live Wallpaper

53. Hornet Hollow Knight Live Wallpaper

54. Invincible Sky Flight Live Wallpaper

55. Powerpuff Girls Live Wallpaper

56. Goku & Shenron Live Wallpaper

57. Malenia – Elden Ring Live Wallpaper

58. Hashibira Inosuke and Zenitsu Live Wallpaper

59. Kratos Live Wallpaper

60. Goku Rain Flame Live Wallpaper

61. Black Nissan GTR Rainy Night Live Wallpaper

62. My Hero Academia Wallpapers New Tab

63. Dipper & Mabel’s Adventures Live Wallpaper

64. Haikyuu Kenma Kozume Live Wallpaper

65. My Melody Wallpapers New Tab

66. Gojo Blue Eyes Live Wallpaper

67. Berserker Armor Live Wallpaper

68. Bumblebee Live Wallpaper

69. Lamine Yamal Galaxy Live Wallpaper

70. Arsenal FC Flag Live Wallpaper

71. Rengoku Wallpapers New Tab

72. Kaonashi Live Wallpaper

73. Berserker Dark Armor Live Wallpaper

74. Haikyuu Wallpapers New Tab

75. Gojo Reversal Red Live Wallpaper

76. Gachiakuta Wallpapers New Tab

77. Tiger Live Wallpaper

78. Purple Sakura Live Wallpaper

79. Guts Beast of Darkness Live Wallpaper

80. Berserk Wallpapers New Tab

81. Dr. Stone Wallpapers New Tab

82. Anime Boy Wallpapers New Tab

83. Manchester United Flag Live Wallpaper

84. BMW M4 Wallpapers New Tab

85. Ace Smile One Piece Live Wallpaper

86. Lone Samurai Live Wallpaper

87. Porsche 911 Wallpapers New Tab

88. Minecraft Creeper Live Wallpaper

89. Autumn Lamborghini Live Wallpaper

90. Minato & Naruto Live Wallpaper

91. Hitsugaya Toshiro Live Wallpaper

92. Nissan GTR Wallpapers New Tab

93. Boruto Uzumaki Live Wallpaper

94. Bart Simpson Live Wallpaper

95. Audi RS Wallpapers New Tab

96. Keroppi Wallpapers New Tab

97. GTA 6 Wallpapers New Tab

98. Deadpool Live Wallpaper

99. Minecraft Sword Live Wallpaper

100. Chelsea FC Live Wallpaper

101. Rengoku Live Wallpaper Demon Slayer

102. Sasuke Uchiha Wallpapers New Tab

103. Pokemon Wallpapers New Tab

104. Mercedes-AMG Wallpapers New Tab

105. Puss in Boots Live Wallpaper

106. Honda CBR1000RR-R Live Wallpaper

107. Saitama Live Wallpaper – One Punch Man

108. Lamborghini Autumn Live Wallpaper

109. Angry Birds Wallpapers New Tab

110. Ducati Wallpapers New Tab

111. Attack on Titan Wallpapers New Tab

112. Porsche 911 Turbo Live Wallpaper

113. Pink Hello Kitty Live Wallpaper

114. Chibi Anime Wallpapers New Tab

115. Lionel Messi Power Live Wallpaper

116. Brook Live Wallpaper – One Piece

117. Rick and Morty Wallpapers New Tab

118. Denji Wallpapers New Tab

119. Mercedes-Benz E-Class Wallpapers New Tab

120. Harley Davidson Wallpapers New Tab

121. Mickey Mouse Wallpapers New Tab

122. Lamborghini Urus Wallpapers New Tab

123. Baki Hanma Wallpapers New Tab

124. Fallout Vault Boy Live Wallpaper

125. Mob Psycho 100 Wallpapers New Tab

126. Ghost of Yotei Live Wallpaper

127. BMW 8 Series Wallpapers New Tab

128. Guts Wallpapers New Tab

129. Hunter x Hunter Wallpapers New Tab

130. PUBG Wallpapers New Tab

131. Aggretsuko Live Wallpaper

132. Dark Anime Wallpapers New Tab

133. Naruto Live Wallpaper – Uzumaki Hokage

134. Care Bears Wallpapers New Tab

135. Doom Rampage Live Wallpaper

136. Izuku Midoriya Wallpapers New Tab

137. Cristiano Ronaldo Golden Live Wallpaper

138. Gintoki Sakata Wallpapers New Tab

139. Katsuki Bakugo Wallpapers New Tab

140. Kaiju No. 8 Wallpapers New Tab

141. Animal Crossing – Dōbutsu no Mori Live Wallpaper

Delisted Chrome extensions identified by Socket

1. jdjkbjmobobfehaohkkbenbnnaaocabc (Delisted)

2. imfibcedgmmmdikffoeipdnojhgbhjob (Delisted)

3. dljjhjgmkimljkfjboioacmepefoedlh (Delisted)

4. ijgfnklhknbjfjjbacefdgpjbkjdkfoc (Delisted)

5. ooiaicknajbjkknpnfchbgcdhmfligaj (Delisted)

6. objpdomhddblhffemlhmefbpelblakgn (Delisted)

7. kaihdoeelgmhphjindgnehgiekjeleip (Delisted)

8. dlppampnbpddlmkecbbgkgkhamchmfle (Delisted)

9. gnlmghadjomllhknpmaglmmkbabifaal (Delisted)

10. ljblneelmbapgfcbmphbnnkdofmnldjp (Delisted)

11. gdeeoecplcaghjdbpfiddgemdgdmnpbo (Delisted)

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