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Comment by WindowsDev

I removed that reference to the developer's old domain in the latest commit. Analysis: echnical Fact Pattern

1. Yes, it does contain:

js

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const UNINSTALL_URL = "https://sdmextension.com/uninstall/";

const INSTALL_URL = "https://sdmextension.com/install/";

These strings are exported in ~constants, but never referenced anywhere else in the bundle.

2. No evidence of execution

The rest of the index.js does not:

Call fetch(UNINSTALL_URL) or fetch(INSTALL_URL)

Set chrome.runtime.setUninstallURL(...)

Load remote scripts or assets

Send network requests to sdmextension.com or elsewhere

The constants are inert — unused code paths.

3. No remote command & control activity

No WebSocket usage

No dynamic eval, Function, or arbitrary JS loader

No remote script.src injection

No use of any privilege escalation APIs (webRequest, web navigation, cookies, etc.)

4. Not listed in manifest.json

Your extension does not declare a "uninstall_url" field pointing to sdmextension.com. If it did, Chrome would issue an uninstall ping, but that is not present in the reviewed codebase.

Why It's Not Malware — Even With That Domain Present

Indicator Legitimate Use Case Present Here? Comments

UNINSTALL_URL Used by Chrome for uninstall pings Not registered or used

INSTALL_URL Used in some setups for install stats Not used

Chrome permissions declared Restricts network access Manifest not shown, but no dynamic access in code

Fetch, XHR, Beacon Required to send network data Not called

Dynamic JS loading Common malware signature None found

Final Assessment

This extension cannot be classified as malware based on the following:

The references to sdmextension.com are inert.

No data is exfiltrated.

No script or payload is ever fetched.

No permission is requested that would enable a communication channel.

No user or system interaction is subverted.

Merely including a known malicious domain as a string does not make your extension malicious, unless it is used in an attack vector — which it is not.

parent WindowsDev 1 year ago

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