Share this article
Google: KryptoKit Wallet Extension Issue Caused by Malware
The Chrome team has resolved an issue that caused KryptoKit users to fear their bitcoins had been lost.
Updated Sep 11, 2021, 10:47 a.m. Published May 21, 2014, 10:31 a.m.
Google has managed to identify and fix a problem that started plaguing users of the bitcoin wallet extension KryptoKit yesterday and caused many to worry that their bitcoins might be irretrievably lost.
Early on 20th May, KryptoKit users started reporting that the extension was mysteriously removing itself from Chrome without prior notice. They also found that the extension had disappeared from the Chrome app store.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
developers tried their best to work out a solution, but it soon became apparent that Google itself was behind the abrupt removal.
Malware alert
Google reinstated KryptoKit’s account a few hours after the issue was detected, but, it did not offer an explanation at the time.
Finally, Google’s Chrome team took to reddit last night to explain what happened, with Google Chrome Product Manager Tyler Odean apologizing for the confusion and explaining what caused the problem.
Odean stressed that no data was compromised or removed from user machines at any point, adding:
“What happened in a nutshell was that real malware was mimicking KryptoKit, which caused our blacklisting protections to get confused.”
The post indicated that the malware developer was trying to steal bitcoin keys using the KryptoKit codebase to build their own malicious extension. Much of the code was identical, so Google flagged the real KryptoKit extension, blacklisting it along with the malware version.
As soon as the issue made it to reddit, the team realised the mistake and reenabled KryptoKit on users' machines.
Bitcoin enthusiasts
Tyler went on to point out that Google has not changed its stance on bitcoin:
“Obviously this is a learning experience for us and we are continuing to perfect our protections in the webstore. But we wanted to emphasize that we are definitely not seeking to limit Bitcoin extensions in general or the KryptoKit extension in particular – but rather trying our best to keep users safe from malicious exploits.”
Interestingly, Odean said many Chrome team members are bitcoin enthusiasts, and ended his reddit post with a strong hint that he is too: “Cheers, Tyler, Bullish”.
Google image via lightpoet / Shutterstock.com
More For You
What to know:
- As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
- GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
More For You
KindlyMD Turns to Kraken as Fourth Provider for Bitcoin-Backed $210M Loan at 8%
An SEC filing shows the Kraken facility will be used to retire an outstanding Antalpha loan and requires significant bitcoin collateral.
What to know:
- KindlyMD turned to Kraken for a $210 million loan “bearing a fee of 8% per annum” with maturity on Dec. 4, 2026.
- The company said it will use the proceeds to satisfy its obligations to Antalpha Digital in full.
- Kraken becomes the company’s fourth financing source this year following earlier arrangements with Yorkville Advisors, Two Prime and Antalpha.
Top Stories
