DarkSpectre Hackers Infected 8.8 Million Chrome, Edge, and Firefox Users with Malware

**DarkSpectre** is a well-resourced Chinese threat actor that infected an estimated 8.8 million users over seven years by weaponizing browser extensions across Chrome, Edge, and Firefox; three linked campaigns (ShadyPanda, Zoom Stealer, GhostPoster) used long-dormant “time-bomb” extensions, steganographic payloads disguised as PNGs, layered obfuscation, and server‑side configuration to evade marketplace review and dynamically control malicious behavior for consumer fraud and corporate espionage.