Company Details
perplexity-ai
1,749
1,260,308
5112
perplexity.ai
16
PER_1655949
Completed

Perplexity Company CyberSecurity Posture
perplexity.aiThe most powerful answer engine. Powering curiosity with answers backed by up-to-date sources. This is where knowledge begins.
Company Details
perplexity-ai
1,749
1,260,308
5112
perplexity.ai
16
PER_1655949
Completed
Between 700 and 749

Perplexity Global Score (TPRM)XXXX

Description: Perplexity AI is under investigation by Amazon Web Services (AWS) for potentially breaching AWS rules by ignoring the Robots Exclusion Protocol and scraping content from websites that attempted to block its access. This protocol, which is widely respected though not legally binding, was dismissed by Perplexity as it accessed data from multiple websites including Condé Nast properties through scraping practices. Companies affected have reported unauthorized crawling by an IP address linked to Perplexity, raising concerns about data use and adherence to AWS's terms of service. As a result, the integrity and legitimacy of the content used by Perplexity's AI search service are in question, reflecting poorly on their operations.
Description: Cybersecurity researchers uncovered **CometJacking**, a novel **prompt injection attack** targeting Perplexity’s AI-powered browser, **Comet**. The attack exploits a malicious URL to hijack the embedded AI assistant, siphoning sensitive data—including emails, calendars, and connected services—without requiring credential theft, as the browser already has authorized access. The attack leverages **Base64 obfuscation** to bypass Perplexity’s data exfiltration protections, transmitting stolen information to an attacker-controlled endpoint in a single click. The technique weaponizes the **‘collection’ URL parameter**, tricking the AI into executing hidden prompts that extract data from the user’s linked accounts (e.g., Gmail). While Perplexity dismissed the findings as having **‘no security impact’**, the attack demonstrates how AI-native tools can **circumvent traditional defenses**, turning trusted assistants into insider threats. Researchers warn this could enable large-scale data theft if exploited in phishing campaigns, particularly in enterprise environments where AI browsers are integrated. The attack mirrors prior techniques like **Scamlexity** (2020), where browsers were manipulated into interacting with phishing pages autonomously. Experts emphasize the urgent need for **security-by-design** in AI agents to prevent prompt-based exploits from becoming widespread threats.
Description: SquareX researchers discovered a critical vulnerability in **Comet**, Perplexity’s AI-powered agentic browser, where hidden built-in extensions (**Comet Analytics** and **Comet Agentic**) exploit the **MCP API** to execute arbitrary commands on a user’s device. The API, accessible via Perplexity’s subdomains, could be hijacked by attackers through **XSS, MitM, or extension stomping** (spoofing the Analytics Extension’s manifest key) to deploy **ransomware**, exfiltrate data, or install malware. Though Perplexity silently patched the issue by disabling the MCP API after public disclosure, the lack of transparency and user control over these extensions poses ongoing risks. The flaw highlights how AI browsers, bypassing traditional sandboxing, expand attack surfaces by granting deep system access—potentially enabling full device takeover if exploited. Researchers warn this sets a dangerous precedent for AI-driven software prioritizing innovation over security boundaries.
Description: Perplexity’s AI-powered browser **Comet** was exposed to **HashJack**, a critical indirect prompt injection vulnerability exploiting URL fragments (after the ‘#’ symbol) to execute hidden malicious instructions. The flaw allowed threat actors to bypass traditional security systems—such as server logs, network monitoring, and content security policies—by embedding deceptive prompts (e.g., callback phishing, data exfiltration, misinformation, malware guidance, medical harm, and credential theft) that appeared as legitimate AI-generated responses. Users were tricked into divulging sensitive financial/personal data, installing backdoors, or following harmful medical advice, all while the attack remained undetected due to client-side processing of URL fragments.Perplexity initially dismissed the report but later classified it as **critical severity (P1)**, deploying fixes by **November 18, 2025**. The incident highlights systemic risks in AI browsers, where LLM susceptibility to prompt injection and flawed URL-handling design enable large-scale deception, financial fraud, and operational disruptions. The attack’s stealth and automation potential—particularly in agentic browsers—posed severe reputational, financial, and trust-based damages, with long-term implications for user safety and regulatory compliance.
Description: Cybersecurity researchers at SquareX uncovered a critical **vulnerability** in **Comet**, Perplexity’s AI-powered browser, tied to a hidden **MCP API** (chrome.perplexity.mcp.addStdioServer) within the **Agentic extension**. This API allows arbitrary local command execution on users' devices—a capability explicitly banned in traditional browsers like Chrome or Firefox. The flaw stems from weak security controls, exposing users to **full device takeover** if attackers compromise **perplexity.ai** via methods like **XSS, phishing, or insider threats**. SquareX demonstrated the risk by spoofing a malicious extension, injecting a script into perplexity.ai, and leveraging the MCP API to execute **WannaCry ransomware**. The vulnerability creates a **catastrophic third-party risk**, where users’ security depends entirely on Perplexity’s defenses, with no mitigation options. The researchers warned that exploitation is inevitable, given the browser’s deviation from decades of established security principles. A single breach of Perplexity’s infrastructure could grant attackers **unprecedented control** over all Comet users’ devices, enabling large-scale malware deployment, data theft, or system hijacking.


Perplexity has 581.82% more incidents than the average of same-industry companies with at least one recorded incident.
Perplexity has 368.75% more incidents than the average of all companies with at least one recorded incident.
Perplexity reported 3 incidents this year: 0 cyber attacks, 0 ransomware, 3 vulnerabilities, 0 data breaches, compared to industry peers with at least 1 incident.
Perplexity cyber incidents detection timeline including parent company and subsidiaries

The most powerful answer engine. Powering curiosity with answers backed by up-to-date sources. This is where knowledge begins.


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Perplexity AI is in hot water over alleged security vulnerabilities in its Comet browser, including a supposed RCE flaw.
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I've discussed often how Perplexity continues to punch above its weight amongst the leading LLM AI players this AI Tech Wave .

Explore insights on cybersecurity incidents, risk posture, and Rankiteo's assessments.
The official website of Perplexity is https://www.perplexity.ai.
According to Rankiteo, Perplexity’s AI-generated cybersecurity score is 726, reflecting their Moderate security posture.
According to Rankiteo, Perplexity currently holds 0 security badges, indicating that no recognized compliance certifications are currently verified for the organization.
According to Rankiteo, Perplexity is not certified under SOC 2 Type 1.
According to Rankiteo, Perplexity does not hold a SOC 2 Type 2 certification.
According to Rankiteo, Perplexity is not listed as GDPR compliant.
According to Rankiteo, Perplexity does not currently maintain PCI DSS compliance.
According to Rankiteo, Perplexity is not compliant with HIPAA regulations.
According to Rankiteo,Perplexity is not certified under ISO 27001, indicating the absence of a formally recognized information security management framework.
Perplexity operates primarily in the Software Development industry.
Perplexity employs approximately 1,749 people worldwide.
Perplexity presently has no subsidiaries across any sectors.
Perplexity’s official LinkedIn profile has approximately 1,260,308 followers.
Perplexity is classified under the NAICS code 5112, which corresponds to Software Publishers.
No, Perplexity does not have a profile on Crunchbase.
Yes, Perplexity maintains an official LinkedIn profile, which is actively utilized for branding and talent engagement, which can be accessed here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/perplexity-ai.
As of November 27, 2025, Rankiteo reports that Perplexity has experienced 5 cybersecurity incidents.
Perplexity has an estimated 26,565 peer or competitor companies worldwide.
Incident Types: The types of cybersecurity incidents that have occurred include Vulnerability, Cyber Attack and Breach.
Detection and Response: The company detects and responds to cybersecurity incidents through an third party assistance with layerx (research disclosure), third party assistance with guardio labs (prior research reference), and communication strategy with public disclosure via the hacker news, communication strategy with statements by layerx researchers, and enhanced monitoring with urgent evaluation of controls for malicious agent prompts (recommended), and incident response plan activated with yes (silent patch deployed post-disclosure), and third party assistance with squarex (research/disclosure), and containment measures with disabled mcp api via silent update, and communication strategy with limited (no public documentation of patch; researchers notified on 2025-11-04, no response until post-publication), and third party assistance with squarex (research/disclosure), and communication strategy with media outreach (techradar), communication strategy with pending response from perplexity, and entity with microsoft, status with acknowledged (2025-08-20), fix date with 2025-10-27, entity with google, status with classified as 'intended behavior' (low severity, 2025-10-03), fix date with none, entity with perplexity, status with initially dismissed; later triaged as critical (p1, 2025-10-10), fix date with 2025-11-18, and third party assistance with cato ctrl (security research), and remediation measures with microsoft: patch released (2025-10-27), remediation measures with perplexity: fixes applied (2025-11-18), remediation measures with google: no remediation (ongoing as of 2025-11-25), and enhanced monitoring with fragment inspection in ai context windows (proposed)..
Title: Perplexity AI Investigation for Breaching AWS Rules
Description: Perplexity AI is under investigation by Amazon Web Services (AWS) for potentially breaching AWS rules by ignoring the Robots Exclusion Protocol and scraping content from websites that attempted to block its access. This protocol, which is widely respected though not legally binding, was dismissed by Perplexity as it accessed data from multiple websites including Condé Nast properties through scraping practices. Companies affected have reported unauthorized crawling by an IP address linked to Perplexity, raising concerns about data use and adherence to AWS's terms of service. As a result, the integrity and legitimacy of the content used by Perplexity's AI search service are in question, reflecting poorly on their operations.
Type: Data Scraping
Attack Vector: Web Scraping
Vulnerability Exploited: Ignoring Robots Exclusion Protocol
Threat Actor: Perplexity AI
Motivation: Data Collection
Title: CometJacking Attack Targeting Perplexity's AI Browser Comet
Description: Cybersecurity researchers disclosed a new attack called CometJacking targeting Perplexity's agentic AI browser Comet. The attack embeds malicious prompts within a seemingly innocuous link to siphon sensitive data from connected services like email and calendar. The attack hijacks the AI assistant embedded in the browser to steal data while bypassing Perplexity's data protections using trivial Base64-encoding tricks. It does not involve credential theft, as the browser already has authorized access to services like Gmail and Calendar. The attack activates when a victim clicks a specially crafted URL, which instructs the Comet browser's AI to execute a hidden prompt that captures and exfiltrates user data to an attacker-controlled endpoint.
Type: Prompt Injection
Attack Vector: Malicious URLPhishing EmailWeb Page
Vulnerability Exploited: AI Agent Memory AccessBase64 Obfuscation BypassURL Parameter Manipulation (collection)
Motivation: Data TheftUnauthorized Data AccessExploitation of AI Tools
Title: Comet Browser MCP API Vulnerability Exposes Users to Arbitrary Command Execution
Description: SquareX researchers discovered a critical security flaw in Comet, Perplexity's AI-powered agentic browser. The browser's hidden built-in extensions (Comet Analytics and Comet Agentic) leverage the MCP API (chrome.perplexity.mcp.addStdioServer) to execute arbitrary commands on the host machine. Attackers exploiting this via XSS, MitM, or extension stomping could install malware, exfiltrate data, or deploy ransomware. The MCP API was silently disabled in a post-disclosure update, but concerns remain about transparency and potential reactivation.
Date Detected: 2025-11-04
Date Publicly Disclosed: 2025-11-19
Date Resolved: 2025-11-19
Type: Vulnerability
Attack Vector: Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)Man-in-the-Middle (MitM)Extension Stomping (Manifest Key Spoofing)Domain Compromise (perplexity.ai subdomains)
Vulnerability Exploited: MCP API (chrome.perplexity.mcp.addStdioServer) in hidden Comet extensions (Comet Analytics/Comet Agentic)
Title: Hidden MCP API in Comet Browser Enabling Arbitrary Local Command Execution
Description: SquareX discovered a major vulnerability in Comet, the AI browser built by Perplexity, which could allow threat actors to take over a victim’s device entirely. The browser contains a hidden API (named MCP API: chrome.perplexity.mcp.addStdioServer) capable of executing arbitrary local commands on users’ devices—a capability explicitly prohibited by traditional browsers. The vulnerability resides in the Agentic extension, which can be triggered via the perplexity.ai site. A compromise of Perplexity’s site (e.g., via XSS, phishing, or insider threat) could grant attackers control over all Comet users' devices. SquareX demonstrated this by spoofing a legitimate extension, sideloading it, and executing WannaCry via the MCP API. Researchers warn of catastrophic third-party risk due to users' reliance on Perplexity's security posture.
Type: Vulnerability Exploitation
Attack Vector: Malicious Extension (Extension Stomping)Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) AttackPhishing (Perplexity Employee Targeting)Insider Threat
Vulnerability Exploited: Hidden MCP API (chrome.perplexity.mcp.addStdioServer) in Agentic Extension (Arbitrary Local Command Execution)
Title: HashJack: Indirect Prompt Injection Exploit in AI-Powered Browsers
Description: A newly discovered indirect prompt injection technique called HashJack exploits a critical design flaw in AI-powered browsers (e.g., Perplexity’s Comet, Microsoft Edge Copilot, Google’s Gemini for Chrome). Threat actors conceal malicious instructions after the ‘#’ symbol in legitimate URLs, which are executed by AI assistants without detection by traditional security systems. The attack leverages URL fragments (client-side only) to bypass server logs, network monitoring, and content security policies. Six attack scenarios were identified, including callback phishing, data exfiltration, misinformation, malware guidance, medical harm, and credential theft.
Date Publicly Disclosed: 2025-08-20
Type: Prompt Injection
Attack Vector: Malicious URL Fragments (Post-‘#’)AI Assistant Context PoisoningClient-Side Execution
Vulnerability Exploited: AI Browser Design Flaw (Fragment Inclusion in Context)LLM Susceptibility to Prompt InjectionLack of Fragment Inspection in Security Tools
Motivation: Financial GainData TheftMisinformationCredential HarvestingMalware DistributionMedical Harm
Common Attack Types: The most common types of attacks the company has faced is Vulnerability.
Identification of Attack Vectors: The company identifies the attack vectors used in incidents through Web Scraping, Malicious URL (Phishing Email or Web Page), Comet Analytics/Comet Agentic extensions (hidden)perplexity.ai subdomains, Compromised perplexity.ai siteMalicious Extension (Agentic)XSS/Phishing/Insider Threat and Malicious URL Fragments (Post-‘#’) in Legitimate Websites.

Data Compromised: Website content
Operational Impact: Questionable Integrity and Legitimacy of AI Search Service
Brand Reputation Impact: Poor Reflection on Operations

Data Compromised: Email data, Calendar data, Connected service data
Systems Affected: Perplexity Comet AI Browser
Brand Reputation Impact: Potential Erosion of Trust in AI Tools

Data Compromised: Local files, System data, User activity logs (potential)
Systems Affected: Comet Browser (AI-powered agentic browser by Perplexity)
Operational Impact: Potential loss of user trust; silent patch may affect undisclosed agentic workflows relying on MCP API
Brand Reputation Impact: High (security community scrutiny; concerns over transparency and user consent)
Identity Theft Risk: High (if attackers exfiltrate local files/PII)

Systems Affected: Comet Browser (All User Devices)Underlying Operating Systems
Operational Impact: Full device takeover risk for all Comet users via Perplexity site compromise
Brand Reputation Impact: High (Catastrophic third-party risk exposure, reversal of browser security principles)

Data Compromised: Sensitive financial data, Personal data, Credentials
Systems Affected: AI-Powered Browsers (Perplexity Comet, Microsoft Edge Copilot, Google Gemini for Chrome)User DevicesIoT Devices (via Malware Guidance)
Operational Impact: Automated Data ExfiltrationUnauthorized AI Assistant ActionsUser Trust Erosion
Brand Reputation Impact: High (Due to AI Manipulation and Undetectable Attacks)
Identity Theft Risk: ['High (Via Credential Theft and PII Exposure)']
Payment Information Risk: ['High (Financial Data Exfiltration)']
Commonly Compromised Data Types: The types of data most commonly compromised in incidents are Website Content, Email Data, Calendar Data, Connector Service Data, , Local System Files, Potential Pii (If Exfiltrated), , Financial Data, Personal Data, Credentials, Medical Information (Via Misinformation), Iot Device Access and .

Entity Name: Perplexity AI
Entity Type: Technology Company
Industry: AI/ML, Search & Browser Services

Entity Name: Perplexity AI (Comet Browser)
Entity Type: Technology Company
Industry: AI/Software
Customers Affected: All Comet Browser users (exact number undisclosed)

Entity Name: Perplexity AI
Entity Type: Organization
Industry: AI/Technology (Browser Development)
Customers Affected: All Comet Browser Users

Entity Name: Microsoft
Entity Type: Corporation
Industry: Technology
Location: Redmond, Washington, USA
Size: Large
Customers Affected: Users of Microsoft Edge Copilot

Entity Name: Google
Entity Type: Corporation
Industry: Technology
Location: Mountain View, California, USA
Size: Large
Customers Affected: Users of Google Gemini for Chrome

Entity Name: Perplexity AI
Entity Type: Corporation
Industry: AI/Technology
Location: San Francisco, California, USA
Size: Medium
Customers Affected: Users of Perplexity Comet

Third Party Assistance: Layerx (Research Disclosure), Guardio Labs (Prior Research Reference).
Communication Strategy: Public Disclosure via The Hacker NewsStatements by LayerX Researchers
Enhanced Monitoring: Urgent Evaluation of Controls for Malicious Agent Prompts (Recommended)

Incident Response Plan Activated: Yes (silent patch deployed post-disclosure)
Third Party Assistance: Squarex (Research/Disclosure).
Containment Measures: Disabled MCP API via silent update
Communication Strategy: Limited (no public documentation of patch; researchers notified on 2025-11-04, no response until post-publication)

Third Party Assistance: Squarex (Research/Disclosure).
Communication Strategy: Media Outreach (TechRadar)Pending Response from Perplexity

Incident Response Plan Activated: [{'entity': 'Microsoft', 'status': 'Acknowledged (2025-08-20)', 'fix_date': '2025-10-27'}, {'entity': 'Google', 'status': "Classified as 'Intended Behavior' (Low Severity, 2025-10-03)", 'fix_date': None}, {'entity': 'Perplexity', 'status': 'Initially Dismissed; Later Triaged as Critical (P1, 2025-10-10)', 'fix_date': '2025-11-18'}]
Third Party Assistance: Cato Ctrl (Security Research).
Remediation Measures: Microsoft: Patch Released (2025-10-27)Perplexity: Fixes Applied (2025-11-18)Google: No Remediation (Ongoing as of 2025-11-25)
Enhanced Monitoring: Fragment Inspection in AI Context Windows (Proposed)
Incident Response Plan: The company's incident response plan is described as Yes (silent patch deployed post-disclosure), entity: Microsoft, status: Acknowledged (2025-08-20), fix_date: 2025-10-27, entity: Google, status: Classified as 'Intended Behavior' (Low Severity, 2025-10-03), entity: Perplexity, status: Initially Dismissed; Later Triaged as Critical (P1, 2025-10-10), fix_date: 2025-11-18, .
Third-Party Assistance: The company involves third-party assistance in incident response through LayerX (Research Disclosure), Guardio Labs (Prior Research Reference), , SquareX (research/disclosure), , SquareX (Research/Disclosure), , Cato CTRL (Security Research), .

Type of Data Compromised: Website Content

Type of Data Compromised: Email data, Calendar data, Connector service data
Sensitivity of Data: High (Authorized Access to Connected Services)
Data Exfiltration: Base64-Encoded Data Transmitted to Attacker-Controlled Endpoint
Data Encryption: ['Bypassed via Obfuscation (Base64)']
Personally Identifiable Information: Potential (Depending on Connected Services)

Type of Data Compromised: Local system files, Potential pii (if exfiltrated)
Sensitivity of Data: High (local device access)
Data Exfiltration: Potential (demonstrated in attack scenario)
Personally Identifiable Information: Potential (if attackers leverage API to access local files)

Type of Data Compromised: Financial data, Personal data, Credentials, Medical information (via misinformation), Iot device access
Sensitivity of Data: High
Data Exfiltration: Automated (via Agentic Browsers like Comet)
Personally Identifiable Information: CredentialsFinancial RecordsPersonal Details
Prevention of Data Exfiltration: The company takes the following measures to prevent data exfiltration: Microsoft: Patch Released (2025-10-27), Perplexity: Fixes Applied (2025-11-18), Google: No Remediation (Ongoing as of 2025-11-25), .
Handling of PII Incidents: The company handles incidents involving personally identifiable information (PII) through by disabled mcp api via silent update and .

Data Encryption: Demonstrated in hypothetical attack (malicious extension invoking MCP API to execute ransomware)
Data Exfiltration: Potential (as part of ransomware attack chain)

Ransomware Strain: WannaCry (Demo Only)

Lessons Learned: AI-native browsers introduce new security risks that bypass traditional defenses., Trivial obfuscation (e.g., Base64) can circumvent data exfiltration checks in AI tools., Malicious prompts in URLs can weaponize AI agents with existing authorized access., Security-by-design is critical for AI agent prompts and memory access, not just page content.

Lessons Learned: AI browsers break traditional sandboxing models, increasing attack surface., Hidden extensions with privileged APIs pose transparency risks., Silent patches without disclosure erode user trust., Industry needs boundaries for AI browser capabilities to avoid bypassing security principles.

Lessons Learned: Adherence to established browser security principles (e.g., Chrome, Safari, Firefox) is critical to prevent arbitrary command execution. Third-party dependencies (e.g., perplexity.ai site) can introduce catastrophic risks if compromised. Custom APIs with elevated privileges must undergo rigorous security reviews.

Lessons Learned: AI browsers must exclude URL fragments from LLM context to prevent prompt injection., Client-side-only attacks evade traditional security tools, requiring new detection frameworks., User trust in AI assistants can be exploited via seemingly legitimate URLs., Proactive security research is critical for emerging AI-driven attack surfaces.

Recommendations: Implement controls to detect and neutralize malicious agent prompts in AI browsers., Evaluate and harden AI tool integrations with connected services (e.g., Gmail, Calendar)., Monitor for weaponized URLs targeting AI-native tools in phishing campaigns., Adopt security-by-design principles for AI memory access and prompt execution.Implement controls to detect and neutralize malicious agent prompts in AI browsers., Evaluate and harden AI tool integrations with connected services (e.g., Gmail, Calendar)., Monitor for weaponized URLs targeting AI-native tools in phishing campaigns., Adopt security-by-design principles for AI memory access and prompt execution.Implement controls to detect and neutralize malicious agent prompts in AI browsers., Evaluate and harden AI tool integrations with connected services (e.g., Gmail, Calendar)., Monitor for weaponized URLs targeting AI-native tools in phishing campaigns., Adopt security-by-design principles for AI memory access and prompt execution.Implement controls to detect and neutralize malicious agent prompts in AI browsers., Evaluate and harden AI tool integrations with connected services (e.g., Gmail, Calendar)., Monitor for weaponized URLs targeting AI-native tools in phishing campaigns., Adopt security-by-design principles for AI memory access and prompt execution.

Recommendations: Disable local MCP API permanently or restrict to minimal necessary functionality., Inform users about privileged extensions and provide opt-out mechanisms., Document all high-risk APIs and their intended use cases., Implement public vulnerability disclosure processes., Conduct third-party security audits for AI-powered browsers.Disable local MCP API permanently or restrict to minimal necessary functionality., Inform users about privileged extensions and provide opt-out mechanisms., Document all high-risk APIs and their intended use cases., Implement public vulnerability disclosure processes., Conduct third-party security audits for AI-powered browsers.Disable local MCP API permanently or restrict to minimal necessary functionality., Inform users about privileged extensions and provide opt-out mechanisms., Document all high-risk APIs and their intended use cases., Implement public vulnerability disclosure processes., Conduct third-party security audits for AI-powered browsers.Disable local MCP API permanently or restrict to minimal necessary functionality., Inform users about privileged extensions and provide opt-out mechanisms., Document all high-risk APIs and their intended use cases., Implement public vulnerability disclosure processes., Conduct third-party security audits for AI-powered browsers.Disable local MCP API permanently or restrict to minimal necessary functionality., Inform users about privileged extensions and provide opt-out mechanisms., Document all high-risk APIs and their intended use cases., Implement public vulnerability disclosure processes., Conduct third-party security audits for AI-powered browsers.

Recommendations: Disable or remove the MCP API in Comet Browser immediately., Implement strict sandboxing for extensions to prevent arbitrary command execution., Conduct third-party security audits for perplexity.ai and embedded extensions., Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) for Perplexity employees to mitigate phishing risks., Monitor for extension stomping, XSS, and MitM attacks targeting the Agentic extension., Provide users with transparency tools to assess and mitigate third-party risks.Disable or remove the MCP API in Comet Browser immediately., Implement strict sandboxing for extensions to prevent arbitrary command execution., Conduct third-party security audits for perplexity.ai and embedded extensions., Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) for Perplexity employees to mitigate phishing risks., Monitor for extension stomping, XSS, and MitM attacks targeting the Agentic extension., Provide users with transparency tools to assess and mitigate third-party risks.Disable or remove the MCP API in Comet Browser immediately., Implement strict sandboxing for extensions to prevent arbitrary command execution., Conduct third-party security audits for perplexity.ai and embedded extensions., Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) for Perplexity employees to mitigate phishing risks., Monitor for extension stomping, XSS, and MitM attacks targeting the Agentic extension., Provide users with transparency tools to assess and mitigate third-party risks.Disable or remove the MCP API in Comet Browser immediately., Implement strict sandboxing for extensions to prevent arbitrary command execution., Conduct third-party security audits for perplexity.ai and embedded extensions., Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) for Perplexity employees to mitigate phishing risks., Monitor for extension stomping, XSS, and MitM attacks targeting the Agentic extension., Provide users with transparency tools to assess and mitigate third-party risks.Disable or remove the MCP API in Comet Browser immediately., Implement strict sandboxing for extensions to prevent arbitrary command execution., Conduct third-party security audits for perplexity.ai and embedded extensions., Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) for Perplexity employees to mitigate phishing risks., Monitor for extension stomping, XSS, and MitM attacks targeting the Agentic extension., Provide users with transparency tools to assess and mitigate third-party risks.Disable or remove the MCP API in Comet Browser immediately., Implement strict sandboxing for extensions to prevent arbitrary command execution., Conduct third-party security audits for perplexity.ai and embedded extensions., Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) for Perplexity employees to mitigate phishing risks., Monitor for extension stomping, XSS, and MitM attacks targeting the Agentic extension., Provide users with transparency tools to assess and mitigate third-party risks.

Recommendations: Exclude URL fragments from AI assistant context windows., Implement client-side monitoring for malicious prompt execution., Educate users on the risks of AI-generated suggestions from untrusted sources., Develop standardized security frameworks for AI-powered browsers., Enhance collaboration between AI vendors and security researchers.Exclude URL fragments from AI assistant context windows., Implement client-side monitoring for malicious prompt execution., Educate users on the risks of AI-generated suggestions from untrusted sources., Develop standardized security frameworks for AI-powered browsers., Enhance collaboration between AI vendors and security researchers.Exclude URL fragments from AI assistant context windows., Implement client-side monitoring for malicious prompt execution., Educate users on the risks of AI-generated suggestions from untrusted sources., Develop standardized security frameworks for AI-powered browsers., Enhance collaboration between AI vendors and security researchers.Exclude URL fragments from AI assistant context windows., Implement client-side monitoring for malicious prompt execution., Educate users on the risks of AI-generated suggestions from untrusted sources., Develop standardized security frameworks for AI-powered browsers., Enhance collaboration between AI vendors and security researchers.Exclude URL fragments from AI assistant context windows., Implement client-side monitoring for malicious prompt execution., Educate users on the risks of AI-generated suggestions from untrusted sources., Develop standardized security frameworks for AI-powered browsers., Enhance collaboration between AI vendors and security researchers.
Key Lessons Learned: The key lessons learned from past incidents are AI-native browsers introduce new security risks that bypass traditional defenses.,Trivial obfuscation (e.g., Base64) can circumvent data exfiltration checks in AI tools.,Malicious prompts in URLs can weaponize AI agents with existing authorized access.,Security-by-design is critical for AI agent prompts and memory access, not just page content.AI browsers break traditional sandboxing models, increasing attack surface.,Hidden extensions with privileged APIs pose transparency risks.,Silent patches without disclosure erode user trust.,Industry needs boundaries for AI browser capabilities to avoid bypassing security principles.Adherence to established browser security principles (e.g., Chrome, Safari, Firefox) is critical to prevent arbitrary command execution. Third-party dependencies (e.g., perplexity.ai site) can introduce catastrophic risks if compromised. Custom APIs with elevated privileges must undergo rigorous security reviews.AI browsers must exclude URL fragments from LLM context to prevent prompt injection.,Client-side-only attacks evade traditional security tools, requiring new detection frameworks.,User trust in AI assistants can be exploited via seemingly legitimate URLs.,Proactive security research is critical for emerging AI-driven attack surfaces.

Source: The Hacker News

Source: LayerX Research (Michelle Levy, Head of Security Research)

Source: Guardio Labs (Scamlexity Attack Technique, August 2020)

Source: Help Net Security
URL: https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/
Date Accessed: 2025-11-19

Source: TechRadar

Source: Cato CTRL Security Research
Additional Resources: Stakeholders can find additional resources on cybersecurity best practices at and Source: The Hacker News, and Source: LayerX Research (Michelle Levy, Head of Security Research), and Source: Guardio Labs (Scamlexity Attack Technique, August 2020), and Source: Help Net SecurityUrl: https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/Date Accessed: 2025-11-19, and Source: SquareX Research ReportDate Accessed: 2025-11-19, and Source: TechRadarUrl: https://www.techradar.com/news/squarex-discovered-hidden-mcp-api-in-comet-browser-enabling-arbitrary-local-command-execution, and Source: Cato CTRL Security Research.

Investigation Status: Ongoing

Investigation Status: Disclosed by Third-Party Researchers (LayerX); Perplexity Classified as 'No Security Impact'

Investigation Status: Partially Resolved (MCP API disabled; long-term fixes pending)

Investigation Status: Ongoing (Pending Response from Perplexity)

Investigation Status: [{'entity': 'Microsoft', 'status': 'Resolved (2025-10-27)'}, {'entity': 'Google', 'status': 'Unresolved (Ongoing as of 2025-11-25)'}, {'entity': 'Perplexity', 'status': 'Resolved (2025-11-18)'}]
Communication of Investigation Status: The company communicates the status of incident investigations to stakeholders through Public Disclosure Via The Hacker News, Statements By Layerx Researchers, Limited (no public documentation of patch; researchers notified on 2025-11-04, no response until post-publication), Media Outreach (Techradar) and Pending Response From Perplexity.

Customer Advisories: Users advised to avoid clicking AI-generated links from untrusted URLs.Recommend disabling AI assistant features in browsers until patches are applied (for Google Gemini).
Advisories Provided: The company provides the following advisories to stakeholders and customers following an incident: were Users Advised To Avoid Clicking Ai-Generated Links From Untrusted Urls., Recommend Disabling Ai Assistant Features In Browsers Until Patches Are Applied (For Google Gemini). and .

Entry Point: Web Scraping

Entry Point: Malicious Url (Phishing Email Or Web Page),
High Value Targets: Connected Services (Gmail, Calendar, Etc.),
Data Sold on Dark Web: Connected Services (Gmail, Calendar, Etc.),

Entry Point: Comet Analytics/Comet Agentic Extensions (Hidden), Perplexity.Ai Subdomains,
Backdoors Established: Potential (via MCP API persistence)
High Value Targets: Local System Files, User Credentials, Installed Applications,
Data Sold on Dark Web: Local System Files, User Credentials, Installed Applications,

Entry Point: Compromised Perplexity.Ai Site, Malicious Extension (Agentic), Xss/Phishing/Insider Threat,
Backdoors Established: MCP API (chrome.perplexity.mcp.addStdioServer)
High Value Targets: All Comet Browser Users' Devices
Data Sold on Dark Web: All Comet Browser Users' Devices

Entry Point: Malicious URL Fragments (Post-‘#’) in Legitimate Websites
Backdoors Established: ['Via Malware Guidance Scenarios (IoT/Device Compromise)']
High Value Targets: Financial Data, Personal Identifiable Information (Pii), Credentials, Medical Data,
Data Sold on Dark Web: Financial Data, Personal Identifiable Information (Pii), Credentials, Medical Data,

Root Causes: Ignoring Robots Exclusion Protocol

Root Causes: Lack Of Prompt Validation In Ai Agent Memory Access., Insufficient Safeguards Against Url Parameter Manipulation (E.G., 'Collection')., Over-Reliance On Traditional Defenses For Ai-Native Tools.,

Root Causes: Lack Of Extension Visibility/Control For Users, Overprivileged Hidden Extensions With System-Level Access, Insufficient Api Documentation And Use-Case Justification, Silent Updates Without Transparency,
Corrective Actions: Disabled Mcp Api (Temporary Fix), Expected: Public Documentation Of Api Usage And Risks, Expected: User-Facing Controls For Privileged Extensions,

Root Causes: Lack Of Adherence To Browser Security Principles (E.G., Prohibiting Arbitrary Command Execution)., Overprivileged Custom Api (Mcp) In Agentic Extension., Third-Party Risk Concentration (Single Point Of Failure Via Perplexity.Ai)., Insufficient Extension Sandboxing.,

Root Causes: Ai Browsers Treating Url Fragments As Legitimate Context For Llms., Lack Of Fragment Inspection In Security Tools (Server-Side And Network-Level)., Over-Reliance On Client-Side Execution Without Validation., Design Flaw In Ai Assistant Architecture (Trusting Unvalidated Url Inputs).,
Corrective Actions: Patch Ai Browsers To Exclude Fragments From Llm Context (Microsoft/Perplexity)., Develop Fragment-Aware Security Tools For Client-Side Monitoring., Implement User Warnings For Ai-Generated Content From External Urls., Establish Industry Standards For Secure Ai Browser Design.,
Post-Incident Analysis Process: The company's process for conducting post-incident analysis is described as Layerx (Research Disclosure), Guardio Labs (Prior Research Reference), , Urgent Evaluation Of Controls For Malicious Agent Prompts (Recommended), , Squarex (Research/Disclosure), , Squarex (Research/Disclosure), , Cato Ctrl (Security Research), , Fragment Inspection In Ai Context Windows (Proposed), .
Corrective Actions Taken: The company has taken the following corrective actions based on post-incident analysis: Disabled Mcp Api (Temporary Fix), Expected: Public Documentation Of Api Usage And Risks, Expected: User-Facing Controls For Privileged Extensions, , Patch Ai Browsers To Exclude Fragments From Llm Context (Microsoft/Perplexity)., Develop Fragment-Aware Security Tools For Client-Side Monitoring., Implement User Warnings For Ai-Generated Content From External Urls., Establish Industry Standards For Secure Ai Browser Design., .
Last Attacking Group: The attacking group in the last incident was an Perplexity AI.
Most Recent Incident Detected: The most recent incident detected was on 2025-11-04.
Most Recent Incident Publicly Disclosed: The most recent incident publicly disclosed was on 2025-08-20.
Most Recent Incident Resolved: The most recent incident resolved was on 2025-11-19.
Most Significant Data Compromised: The most significant data compromised in an incident were Website Content, , Email Data, Calendar Data, Connected Service Data, , Local files, System data, User activity logs (potential), , Sensitive Financial Data, Personal Data, Credentials and .
Most Significant System Affected: The most significant system affected in an incident were Perplexity Comet AI Browser and Comet Browser (AI-powered agentic browser by Perplexity) and Comet Browser (All User Devices)Underlying Operating Systems and AI-Powered Browsers (Perplexity Comet, Microsoft Edge Copilot, Google Gemini for Chrome)User DevicesIoT Devices (via Malware Guidance).
Third-Party Assistance in Most Recent Incident: The third-party assistance involved in the most recent incident was layerx (research disclosure), guardio labs (prior research reference), , squarex (research/disclosure), , squarex (research/disclosure), , cato ctrl (security research), .
Containment Measures in Most Recent Incident: The containment measures taken in the most recent incident was Disabled MCP API via silent update.
Most Sensitive Data Compromised: The most sensitive data compromised in a breach were User activity logs (potential), Website Content, Email Data, Personal Data, Local files, Calendar Data, Connected Service Data, Sensitive Financial Data, Credentials and System data.
Most Significant Lesson Learned: The most significant lesson learned from past incidents was Proactive security research is critical for emerging AI-driven attack surfaces.
Most Significant Recommendation Implemented: The most significant recommendation implemented to improve cybersecurity was Evaluate and harden AI tool integrations with connected services (e.g., Gmail, Calendar)., Implement public vulnerability disclosure processes., Monitor for weaponized URLs targeting AI-native tools in phishing campaigns., Exclude URL fragments from AI assistant context windows., Disable local MCP API permanently or restrict to minimal necessary functionality., Implement controls to detect and neutralize malicious agent prompts in AI browsers., Inform users about privileged extensions and provide opt-out mechanisms., Implement strict sandboxing for extensions to prevent arbitrary command execution., Document all high-risk APIs and their intended use cases., Enhance collaboration between AI vendors and security researchers., Implement client-side monitoring for malicious prompt execution., Educate users on the risks of AI-generated suggestions from untrusted sources., Develop standardized security frameworks for AI-powered browsers., Provide users with transparency tools to assess and mitigate third-party risks., Monitor for extension stomping, XSS, and MitM attacks targeting the Agentic extension., Disable or remove the MCP API in Comet Browser immediately., Adopt security-by-design principles for AI memory access and prompt execution., Conduct third-party security audits for AI-powered browsers., Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) for Perplexity employees to mitigate phishing risks. and Conduct third-party security audits for perplexity.ai and embedded extensions..
Most Recent Source: The most recent source of information about an incident are Help Net Security, SquareX Research Report, Guardio Labs (Scamlexity Attack Technique, August 2020), LayerX Research (Michelle Levy, Head of Security Research), The Hacker News, TechRadar and Cato CTRL Security Research.
Most Recent URL for Additional Resources: The most recent URL for additional resources on cybersecurity best practices is https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/, https://www.techradar.com/news/squarex-discovered-hidden-mcp-api-in-comet-browser-enabling-arbitrary-local-command-execution .
Current Status of Most Recent Investigation: The current status of the most recent investigation is Ongoing.
Most Recent Customer Advisory: The most recent customer advisory issued was an Users advised to avoid clicking AI-generated links from untrusted URLs.Recommend disabling AI assistant features in browsers until patches are applied (for Google Gemini).
Most Recent Entry Point: The most recent entry point used by an initial access broker were an Web Scraping and Malicious URL Fragments (Post-‘#’) in Legitimate Websites.
Most Significant Root Cause: The most significant root cause identified in post-incident analysis was Ignoring Robots Exclusion Protocol, Lack of prompt validation in AI agent memory access.Insufficient safeguards against URL parameter manipulation (e.g., 'collection').Over-reliance on traditional defenses for AI-native tools., Lack of extension visibility/control for usersOverprivileged hidden extensions with system-level accessInsufficient API documentation and use-case justificationSilent updates without transparency, Lack of adherence to browser security principles (e.g., prohibiting arbitrary command execution).Overprivileged custom API (MCP) in Agentic extension.Third-party risk concentration (single point of failure via perplexity.ai).Insufficient extension sandboxing., AI browsers treating URL fragments as legitimate context for LLMs.Lack of fragment inspection in security tools (server-side and network-level).Over-reliance on client-side execution without validation.Design flaw in AI assistant architecture (trusting unvalidated URL inputs)..
Most Significant Corrective Action: The most significant corrective action taken based on post-incident analysis was Disabled MCP API (temporary fix)Expected: Public documentation of API usage and risksExpected: User-facing controls for privileged extensions, Patch AI browsers to exclude fragments from LLM context (Microsoft/Perplexity).Develop fragment-aware security tools for client-side monitoring.Implement user warnings for AI-generated content from external URLs.Establish industry standards for secure AI browser design..
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Angular is a development platform for building mobile and desktop web applications using TypeScript/JavaScript and other languages. Prior to versions 19.2.16, 20.3.14, and 21.0.1, there is a XSRF token leakage via protocol-relative URLs in angular HTTP clients. The vulnerability is a Credential Leak by App Logic that leads to the unauthorized disclosure of the Cross-Site Request Forgery (XSRF) token to an attacker-controlled domain. Angular's HttpClient has a built-in XSRF protection mechanism that works by checking if a request URL starts with a protocol (http:// or https://) to determine if it is cross-origin. If the URL starts with protocol-relative URL (//), it is incorrectly treated as a same-origin request, and the XSRF token is automatically added to the X-XSRF-TOKEN header. This issue has been patched in versions 19.2.16, 20.3.14, and 21.0.1. A workaround for this issue involves avoiding using protocol-relative URLs (URLs starting with //) in HttpClient requests. All backend communication URLs should be hardcoded as relative paths (starting with a single /) or fully qualified, trusted absolute URLs.
Forge (also called `node-forge`) is a native implementation of Transport Layer Security in JavaScript. An Uncontrolled Recursion vulnerability in node-forge versions 1.3.1 and below enables remote, unauthenticated attackers to craft deep ASN.1 structures that trigger unbounded recursive parsing. This leads to a Denial-of-Service (DoS) via stack exhaustion when parsing untrusted DER inputs. This issue has been patched in version 1.3.2.
Forge (also called `node-forge`) is a native implementation of Transport Layer Security in JavaScript. An Integer Overflow vulnerability in node-forge versions 1.3.1 and below enables remote, unauthenticated attackers to craft ASN.1 structures containing OIDs with oversized arcs. These arcs may be decoded as smaller, trusted OIDs due to 32-bit bitwise truncation, enabling the bypass of downstream OID-based security decisions. This issue has been patched in version 1.3.2.
Suricata is a network IDS, IPS and NSM engine developed by the OISF (Open Information Security Foundation) and the Suricata community. Prior to versions 7.0.13 and 8.0.2, working with large buffers in Lua scripts can lead to a stack overflow. Users of Lua rules and output scripts may be affected when working with large buffers. This includes a rule passing a large buffer to a Lua script. This issue has been patched in versions 7.0.13 and 8.0.2. A workaround for this issue involves disabling Lua rules and output scripts, or making sure limits, such as stream.depth.reassembly and HTTP response body limits (response-body-limit), are set to less than half the stack size.
Suricata is a network IDS, IPS and NSM engine developed by the OISF (Open Information Security Foundation) and the Suricata community. In versions from 8.0.0 to before 8.0.2, a NULL dereference can occur when the entropy keyword is used in conjunction with base64_data. This issue has been patched in version 8.0.2. A workaround involves disabling rules that use entropy in conjunction with base64_data.

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