Claude Desktop Reportedly Adds Browser Access Bridge to Multiple Chromium

Cybersecuritynews •Abinaya • April 24, 2026

A recent technical audit by privacy researcher Alexander Hanff has revealed that Anthropic’s Claude Desktop application for macOS silently installs a Native Messaging bridge into the directories of several Chromium-based browsers. This undocumented behavior occurs without user consent, raising significant privacy and security concerns within the cybersecurity community. When a user installs Claude Desktop (Claude.app), […]

The full story

This article is one source in a clustered incident — the cluster page carries the summary, timeline and every other outlet covering it.

Anthropic Claude Desktop Exposed for Installing Spyware-Like Browser Bridges Alexander Hanff, a safety expert, revealed that the Claude Desktop application from Anthropic installs Native Messaging bridge files across multiple Chromium-based browsers without user consent. This unauthorized installation allows the application to automate browser actions and access sensitive information on behalf of users, including banking and tax sites. The bridge files are written into browser configuration directories, even for browsers that are not currently installed, potentially compromising user privacy. Hanff highlighted a concerning 11.2% success rate for prompt injection attacks on the Chrome extension, raising the risk of unauthorized access to user sessions. He called for immediate action from Anthropic to remove or properly disclose this component to users. The incident underscores the importance of vigilance when installing software that may impact privacy and security. 4 sources 66

Claude Desktop Reportedly Adds Browser Access Bridge to Multiple Chromium

The full story

Extracted Entities

Domains (1)

Platforms (2)