Is PDF Manuals safe?

Medium risk

PDF Manuals routes address-bar searches to pdfmanuals.net and maintains a five-year UID cookie for that site.

PDF Manuals sets pdfmanuals.net as the browser's default search provider, so address-bar search terms are sent to pdfmanuals.net. On install it creates a unique ID, stores it in Chrome sync storage, writes it as a five-year cookie for pdfmanuals.net, and recreates that cookie if it is removed.

PDF Manualsv1.0.0.0Chrome Web Store
46Risk

AI-generated. Findings may contain errors. Those marked Verified have been manually reviewed.

Publishers can request a review.

Findings

Address-bar searches are sent to pdfmanuals.net with a persistent UID cookie

When you search from the browser address bar, PDF Manuals sends the terms to pdfmanuals.net/admin/public/link.

It also creates a unique UID cookie for pdfmanuals.net in Chrome sync storage and recreates it if removed.

Severity
Medium unwanted
Type
Unexpected
CWE
CWE-359
Source
Dynamic sandbox
What actually happens
You did this

You search from the browser address bar.

The extension did this

PDF Manuals routes the query to pdfmanuals.net and maintains a long-lived UID cookie for that site.

Captured request
GEThttps://pdfmanuals.net/admin/public/link
Fields in the request
  • Your search terms
    printer manual (illustrative)

    The words you type into the browser address bar are sent to the extension's configured search endpoint.

  • Persistent UID cookie
    d7f3a1b2-9c4e-4f8a-8b2a-1f6c3e9d0a5b (illustrative)

    A random identifier cookie can link repeated visits to pdfmanuals.net from the same browser profile.

What it can do

Permissions this extension asks for, as declared in version 1.0.0.0. Asking for a permission is not a finding on its own - it is what the extension can do if it chooses to.

  • Read and change your data on pdfmanuals.net

    https://pdfmanuals.net/*

  • Store data in your browser

    storage

  • Read and change cookies, including the ones that keep you signed in

    cookies

Where it sends data

Destinations our analysis observed PDF Manuals contacting. Sending data somewhere is not a finding on its own - an extension that syncs your settings has to talk to its own server - but it is where your data can go, and who else it goes to.

  • pdfmanuals.net

    PDF Manuals sends data to pdfmanuals.net. No other extension we have analysed sends data here.

Updated 30 September 2026pckodmjhkabfmljinocgadlpmlefefoi