A new loophole that allows tracking through the browser

Track your browser through apps

There is no doubt that the browser is an essential part of our day. It is the main program that we use to access websites, services, and platforms over the Internet. We have a wide range of options at our disposal. The main ones are Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, but there are many more.

In this case, a group of security researchers found a way to Track through the browser. To do this they depend on the installed applications. This is because the programs, when installed, create custom URL schemes that the browser can use to use in a specific application.

This allows for when you open it URL, The browser opens a specific application. Program for making video calls, for example as Skype. However, now they have discovered a loophole that allows tracking a device’s user when using different browsers, such as Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari and also Tor, which are considered the most private.

If a website takes advantage of this vulnerability, it can Create a unique identifier And linking identities when browsing. To do this, it creates a profile of the apps installed on the device when trying to open its URL drivers.

What happens is that if a message is fired to open the application, it can be assumed that it is already installed. By searching for URL handlers, the generated script can create a unique profile for this device.

The fact that the installed applications are the same regardless of which browser the user uses, may allow script tracking regardless of whether they use Chrome, Firefox or Tor …

More than 20 apps

This vulnerability has been demonstrated so far in More than 20 apps Among them we can highlight Skype, Zoom, Spotify, Teamviewer and even some VPNs like ExpressVPN or NordVPN.

For now, according to security researchers, the only way to mitigate this issue is to use an Browser on a different device. However, major browsers have already announced that they are releasing updates and avoiding this vulnerability.

We previously saw that an Incognito mode does not improve security In the browser. This causes us to always take extra measures to protect our data and have no problems.

As we always say, it is essential to have the most recent versions installed. There are many attacks that can be present on a network. Several security flaws have to be corrected. Hence, we must always have the latest updates and all corrections appearing. Especially when it comes to programs like the browser, where we will put a lot of personal data, this becomes even more important.