Top Risks

• THREAT FEED: extension ID independently confirmed malicious by TPCI chrome-mal-ids — Option Search [browser-hijack] + malext.io malicious_extension_sentry (+2.5, capped).
• Developer domain searchoption.net does not resolve — operator has vanished, abandoned extension running on 1K installs.
• Privacy policy URL fetch failed (connection error, domain dead) — effectively no privacy policy.
• Extension is 65 months stale (>36 mo) with a dead developer domain — high supply-chain / takeover risk.
• Search engine override silently redirects all browser searches to find.searchoption.net with no active oversight.

Evidence

• developer_domain_dead api threat_intel.developer_domain_info.resolves == false; searchoption.net does not resolve.
• privacy_policy_fetch_failed api privacy_policy_classification.fetched == false; ConnectionError fetching https://searchoption.net/privacy.html.
• extreme_staleness store months_since_update = 65 (>36 mo); last update March 9, 2021.
• search_provider_override manifest chrome_settings_overrides.search_provider is_default=true targeting find.searchoption.net.
• verified_publisher_featured store verified_publisher=true, is_featured_by_google=true; discounts capped at -1.0 (0c: stale+dead domain).
• no_js_files crx js_file_count=0, obfuscation_score=0.0 — extension is purely declarative (search override only).
• no_developer_name store developer_name is empty string; identity relies solely on email contact@searchoption.net.
• wayback_fetch_error api wayback_ownership fetch_error:ConnectionError; cannot verify historical ownership continuity.
• threat_feed_membership api Extension ID listed by TPCI chrome-mal-ids — Option Search [browser-hijack] + malext.io malicious_extension_sentry; score 5.48 -> 7.98 (+2.5 cap 2.5).

Permissions Breakdown

• chrome_settings_overrides.search_provider (is_default=true) medium Silently overrides the browser default search engine to find.searchoption.net.
• host_permissions: https://find.searchoption.net/* low Narrow host permission scoped only to the extension's own search domain.

Pillar Scores

Bookkeeping