Is Website Ranking and SEO Checker by Semalt safe?

Findings

{  "uid": "e6c79647-fae6-4dea-8752-d205109f563a",  "path": "https://semalt.net/api/v1/serp/rank/",  "response_status": "200",  "response_time": "312",  "details": "{\"site\":\"www.wikipedia.org\",\"se\":1,\"sub\":0}",  "extension_id": 1}

// content script, runs on document_end for <all_urls>const currentHostname = window.location.hostname;const pageState = { domain: currentHostname, semaltRankScore: null };function fetchSemaltRank(hostname) {  return axiosClient.get("https://semalt.net/api/v1/serp/rank/", {    params: { site: hostname, se: 1, sub: 0 }  }).then(resp => resp.data.result[/* latest date key */].rank_worldwide);}fetchSemaltRank(currentHostname).then(rank => { pageState.semaltRankScore = rank; });window.addEventListener("focus", () => {  if (pageState.semaltRankScore == null) fetchSemaltRank(currentHostname);});// axios request interceptor, before every semalt.net/ext.semalt.com callasync function attachRequestId(config) {  let uid = await localStorage.getValue("SEMALTuniqueID");  if (!uid) { uid = generateUuid(); await localStorage.setValue("SEMALTuniqueID", uid); }  config.metadata = { startTime: new Date(), requestId: uid };  return config;}// axios response interceptoraxiosClient.interceptors.response.use(response => {  const logEntry = {    uid: response.config.metadata.requestId,    path: response.config.url,    response_status: String(response.status),    response_time: String(new Date() - response.config.metadata.startTime),    details: JSON.stringify(response.config.params)  };  chrome.runtime.sendMessage({ command: "sendLog", logData: logEntry });  return response;});// background.js: forwards every log entry to Semalt's own serverchrome.runtime.onMessage.addListener((message, sender, sendResponse) => {  if (message.command === "sendLog") {    fetch("https://ext.semalt.com/api/simulator/api-request-logs", {      method: "POST",      headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },      body: JSON.stringify(message.logData)    }).then(r => r.json()).then(data => sendResponse({ status: "success", data }));    return true;  }});

What it can do

Permissions this extension asks for, as declared in version 7.5.0. 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 semalt.com

  *://*.semalt.com/*

• Read and change your data on semalt.global

  *://*.semalt.global/*

• Read and change your data on g.cn

  *://*.g.cn/*

• Read and change your data on google.ad

  *://*.google.ad/*

• Read and change your data on google.ae

  *://*.google.ae/*

• Read and change your data on google.al

  *://*.google.al/*

• Read and change your data on google.am

  *://*.google.am/*

• Read and change your data on google.as

  *://*.google.as/*

• Read and change your data on google.at

  *://*.google.at/*

• Read and change your data on google.az

  *://*.google.az/*

• Read and change your data on google.ba

  *://*.google.ba/*

• Read and change your data on google.be

  *://*.google.be/*

• Read and change your data on google.bf

  *://*.google.bf/*

• Read and change your data on google.bg

  *://*.google.bg/*

• Read and change your data on google.bi

  *://*.google.bi/*

• Read and change your data on google.bj

  *://*.google.bj/*

• Read and change your data on google.bs

  *://*.google.bs/*

• Read and change your data on google.by

  *://*.google.by/*

• Read and change your data on google.ca

  *://*.google.ca/*

• Read and change your data on google.cc

  *://*.google.cc/*

• Read and change your data on google.cd

  *://*.google.cd/*

• Read and change your data on google.cf

  *://*.google.cf/*

• Read and change your data on google.cg

  *://*.google.cg/*

• Read and change your data on google.ch

  *://*.google.ch/*

• Read and change your data on google.ci

  *://*.google.ci/*

• Read and change your data on google.cl

  *://*.google.cl/*

• Read and change your data on google.cm

  *://*.google.cm/*

• Read and change your data on google.co.ao

  *://*.google.co.ao/*

• Read and change your data on google.co.bw

  *://*.google.co.bw/*

• Read and change your data on google.co.ck

  *://*.google.co.ck/*

• Read and change your data on google.co.cr

  *://*.google.co.cr/*

• Read and change your data on google.co.id

  *://*.google.co.id/*

• Read and change your data on google.co.il

  *://*.google.co.il/*

• Read and change your data on google.co.in

  *://*.google.co.in/*

• Read and change your data on google.co.jp

  *://*.google.co.jp/*

• Read and change your data on google.co.ke

  *://*.google.co.ke/*

• Read and change your data on google.co.kr

  *://*.google.co.kr/*

• Read and change your data on google.co.ls

  *://*.google.co.ls/*

• Read and change your data on google.co.ma

  *://*.google.co.ma/*

• Read and change your data on google.co.mz

  *://*.google.co.mz/*

• Read and change your data on google.co.nz

  *://*.google.co.nz/*

• Read and change your data on google.co.th

  *://*.google.co.th/*

• Read and change your data on google.co.tz

  *://*.google.co.tz/*

• Read and change your data on google.co.ug

  *://*.google.co.ug/*

• Read and change your data on google.co.uk

  *://*.google.co.uk/*

• Read and change your data on google.co.uz

  *://*.google.co.uz/*

• Read and change your data on google.co.ve

  *://*.google.co.ve/*

• Read and change your data on google.co.vi

  *://*.google.co.vi/*

• Read and change your data on google.co.za

  *://*.google.co.za/*

• Read and change your data on google.co.zm

  *://*.google.co.zm/*

• Read and change your data on google.co.zw

  *://*.google.co.zw/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.af

  *://*.google.com.af/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.ag

  *://*.google.com.ag/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.ai

  *://*.google.com.ai/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.ar

  *://*.google.com.ar/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.au

  *://*.google.com.au/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.bd

  *://*.google.com.bd/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.bh

  *://*.google.com.bh/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.bn

  *://*.google.com.bn/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.bo

  *://*.google.com.bo/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.br

  *://*.google.com.br/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.bz

  *://*.google.com.bz/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.co

  *://*.google.com.co/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.cu

  *://*.google.com.cu/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.cy

  *://*.google.com.cy/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.do

  *://*.google.com.do/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.ec

  *://*.google.com.ec/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.eg

  *://*.google.com.eg/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.et

  *://*.google.com.et/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.fj

  *://*.google.com.fj/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.gh

  *://*.google.com.gh/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.gi

  *://*.google.com.gi/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.gt

  *://*.google.com.gt/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.hk

  *://*.google.com.hk/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.jm

  *://*.google.com.jm/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.kh

  *://*.google.com.kh/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.kw

  *://*.google.com.kw/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.lb

  *://*.google.com.lb/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.lc

  *://*.google.com.lc/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.ly

  *://*.google.com.ly/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.mm

  *://*.google.com.mm/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.mt

  *://*.google.com.mt/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.mx

  *://*.google.com.mx/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.my

  *://*.google.com.my/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.na

  *://*.google.com.na/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.nf

  *://*.google.com.nf/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.ng

  *://*.google.com.ng/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.ni

  *://*.google.com.ni/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.np

  *://*.google.com.np/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.om

  *://*.google.com.om/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.pa

  *://*.google.com.pa/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.pe

  *://*.google.com.pe/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.pg

  *://*.google.com.pg/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.ph

  *://*.google.com.ph/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.pk

  *://*.google.com.pk/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.pr

  *://*.google.com.pr/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.py

  *://*.google.com.py/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.qa

  *://*.google.com.qa/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.sa

  *://*.google.com.sa/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.sb

  *://*.google.com.sb/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.sg

  *://*.google.com.sg/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.sl

  *://*.google.com.sl/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.sv

  *://*.google.com.sv/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.tj

  *://*.google.com.tj/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.tr

  *://*.google.com.tr/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.tw

  *://*.google.com.tw/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.ua

  *://*.google.com.ua/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.uy

  *://*.google.com.uy/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.vc

  *://*.google.com.vc/*

• Read and change your data on google.com.vn

  *://*.google.com.vn/*

• Read and change your data on google.com

  *://*.google.com/*

• Read and change your data on google.cv

  *://*.google.cv/*

• Read and change your data on google.cz

  *://*.google.cz/*

• Read and change your data on google.de

  *://*.google.de/*

• Read and change your data on google.dj

  *://*.google.dj/*

• Read and change your data on google.dk

  *://*.google.dk/*

• Read and change your data on google.dm

  *://*.google.dm/*

• Read and change your data on google.dz

  *://*.google.dz/*

• Read and change your data on google.ee

  *://*.google.ee/*

• Read and change your data on google.es

  *://*.google.es/*

• Act on the current tab, but only after you click the extension

  activeTab

• Run its own code inside the pages you visit

  scripting

• See the address and title of every tab you have open

  tabs

• Store data in your browser

  storage

• See, disable and uninstall your other extensions, including your security ones

  management

Where it sends data

Destinations our analysis observed Website Ranking and SEO Checker by Semalt 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.

• ext.semalt.com

  Website Ranking and SEO Checker by Semalt sends data to ext.semalt.com. 2 other extensions we have analysed send data here.

• semalt.net

  Website Ranking and SEO Checker by Semalt sends data to semalt.net. No other extension we have analysed sends data here.