Perplexity Comet AI Browser Launch Exploited in Coordinated Impersonation Scam

About this episode

The episode discusses the exploitation of the Perplexity Comet AI browser launch by cybercriminals through a coordinated impersonation scam.

The launch of Perplexity’s Comet AI browser — a major step forward in AI-assisted browsing — was almost immediately hijacked by cybercriminals. Within weeks of its July debut, threat intelligence firm BforeAI uncovered a coordinated impersonation campaign designed to exploit public interest in the new product. The campaign involved a web of fraudulent domains, fake mobile apps, and malicious advertisements, all working together to trick users into downloading counterfeit versions of Comet. Attackers registered more than 40 fake domains using typosquatting and brand impersonation, targeting search terms like “Comet,” “AI,” “browser,” and “Perplexity.” These sites often mimicked the official download pages to capture traffic from curious users. Beyond the web, the campaign spread to mobile ecosystems — with fake Comet AI applications appearing on both Google Play and the Apple App Store. One app, “Comet AI Atlas App Info,” impersonated the legitimate product so convincingly that Perplexity’s CEO Aravind Srinivas publicly warned users, confirming the iOS version as “fake and spam.” The malicious operation also leveraged Google Ads and social media promotions to push these fraudulent…

Topics covered

• cybersecurity
• AI technology
• impersonation scams
• fraudulent domains
• malicious applications

Keywords

• Perplexity
• Comet AI browser
• cybercriminals
• impersonation campaign
• fraudulent domains
• malicious apps
• BforeAI

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Perplexity, BforeAI, Google Play, Apple App Store

Products: Comet AI browser

More episodes of Daily Security Review

• Palo Alto Networks Uncovers 194,000-Domain Smishing Campaign Linked to “Smishing Triad” · October 29, 2025 · 27 min
• Operation ForumTroll: Chrome Zero-Day Tied to Italian Spyware Developer Memento Labs · October 29, 2025 · 37 min
• Coveware Reports Historic Drop in Ransomware Payments: Only 23% of Victims Paid in Q3 2025 · October 28, 2025 · 26 min
• Firefox Add-Ons Must Declare Data Collection—or Be Rejected · October 28, 2025 · 29 min
• Chainguard’s $3.5 Billion Valuation Signals Massive Investor Confidence in Secure-by-Default Software · October 28, 2025 · 25 min
• $1 Million WhatsApp Exploit Withdrawn—Researcher Silent, Meta Calls It “Low-Risk” · October 28, 2025 · 20 min