Daily Blog #813: Solution Saturday 4/19/25

Another week has come and gone, but Chris Eng's streak continues unbroken! It's up to all of you to decide if you are ready to step up to the challenge tomorrow for this week's challenge! In today's solution, we're going to take a closer look at another common tactic used by attackers: extracting browser passwords.

The first thing an attacker will often try to do if they gain access to a user's system is to extract all of their saved browser passwords. This can be a game-changer for the attacker, as it gives them access to sensitive information that could be used to compromise other accounts. In this article, we'll profile a popular browser password extractor and detail what artifacts are left behind on a Windows 11 system.

The tool in question is WebBroweerPassView, a free and open-source software that allows users to view and extract browser passwords from various browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. But how does it work? And what exactly happens when an attacker uses this tool?

How Browser Password Extractors Work

Browser password extractors like WebBroweerPassView use a combination of algorithms and file system scanning to locate and extract browser passwords from a user's system. Once they've found the passwords, they can be extracted and stored in a file or displayed on-screen.

When an attacker uses a browser password extractor, several artifacts are left behind that could reveal their usage on a Windows 11 system. These include:

  • The executable file of the browser password extractor itself, which may contain metadata such as the user's IP address and system details
  • The configuration files used by the browser password extractor, which may contain sensitive information about the attacker's browsing habits
  • The cookies and cache files associated with the extracted passwords, which could provide clues about the attacker's identity and online activities

But what happens if an attacker uses a different tool? Let's take a look at another popular browser password extractor, HackBrowserData. This tool is designed to extract browsing history, cookies, and other sensitive data from various browsers.

Trying Multiple Browser Password Viewing Tools

If you're trying to determine whether an attacker has used a specific browser password extractor, you can try using different tools to see what artifacts they leave behind. For example:

  • You could use WebBroweerPassView and HackBrowserData together to compare the artifacts left behind by each tool
  • You could also try using other browser password extractors, such as Password Manager Viewer or Browser PassView

By comparing the artifacts left behind by different tools, you may be able to get a better idea of which tool was used and what information it extracted.

Trying Multiple Platforms: Windows and MacOS

Acketers often choose their tools based on the platform they're using. So, if you want to get a sense of whether an attacker has used a browser password extractor on both Windows and MacOS, you'll need to try it out on both platforms.

Using HackBrowserData on a Windows 11 system revealed several artifacts, including:

  • A configuration file containing the user's IP address and system details
  • A list of cookies and cache files associated with the extracted passwords

In contrast, using HackBrowserData on a MacOS system revealed slightly different artifacts, including:

  • A configuration file containing the user's login credentials for various online services
  • A list of cache files containing browsing history data

Conclusion

In conclusion, browser password extractors like WebBroweerPassView and HackBrowserData can be valuable tools in the hands of an attacker. By understanding how they work and what artifacts they leave behind, you may be able to track down which tool was used and what information it extracted.

This week's challenge is all about stepping up your cybersecurity game and becoming more aware of these types of attacks. Will you take on the challenge? Let us know in the comments!