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Analysis: ActorSafetyLists (Chrome Optimization Guide)

Identification

Field Value
Component ActorSafetyLists
Version 8.6294.2057
Internal ID (CRX) ninodabcejpeglfjbkhdplaoglpcbffj
Format Internal Chrome extension (manifest_version 2)
listdata.json size ~718 KB, 24,934 lines
Verification protocol treehash SHA-256 with 4096-byte blocks

What It Is

ActorSafetyLists is an internal Google Chrome component distributed via Chrome's Component Updater system (CRX). It is not a user-visible extension -- it is a data file silently downloaded and updated by the browser.

This component is part of the Chrome Optimization Guide (Chrome's server-to-client hints system). It provides navigation safety lists used to control and filter redirections and navigations between websites.

What It Does

The component serves two main functions:

1. Navigation Blocking (navigation_blocked) -- 538 entries

Prevents navigation from any origin ("from": "*") to specific domains. The blocked site categories are:

a) Google Internal Infrastructure (corporate protection)

  • *.googleplex.com -- Google internal network
  • *.corp.goog -- Google corporate services
  • *.corp.google.com -- Google intranet
  • *.borg.google.com -- Borg orchestration system
  • *.prod.google.com -- Production infrastructure
  • *.proxy.googleprod.com -- Production proxies
  • *.sandbox.google.com -- Internal sandboxes
  • accounts.google.com, admin.google.com, passwords.google.com
  • console.cloud.google.com, console.firebase.google.com
  • remotedesktop.google.com, shell.cloud.google.com, ssh.cloud.google.com
  • storage.googleapis.com, takeout.google.com
  • bugs.chromium.org, chromium-review.googlesource.com

Purpose: Prevent malicious redirections (phishing, open redirects) from leading users to sensitive Google/Chromium pages.

b) Firearms & Ammunition (~80+ domains)

  • atlanticfirearms.com, budsgunshop.com, brownells.com, colt.com
  • guns.com, gunbroker.com, grabagun.com, midwayusa.com
  • palmettostatearmory.com, ruger.com, smith-wesson.com
  • aeroprecisionusa.com, 80percentarms.com, etc.

c) Alcohol & Spirits (~100+ domains)

  • budweiser.com, bacardi.com, donjulio.com, baileys.com
  • jackdaniels.com, johnniewalker.com, patron.com
  • buffalotracedistillery.com, bluemoonbrewingcompany.com, etc.

d) Cannabis, CBD & Vape (~80+ domains)

  • 3chi.com, cannabox.com, curaleaf.com, cbdmd.com
  • delta8resellers.com, cloudvapes.com, vaporfi.com
  • leafly.com, weedmaps.com, etc.

e) Tobacco & E-cigarettes

  • camel.com, americanspirit.com, cigaraficionado.com
  • juul.com, njoy.com, etc.

f) Gambling & Casinos (~30+ domains)

  • draftkings.com, fanduel.com, betmgm.com
  • ignitioncasino.eu, sportsbetting.ag, betonline.ag
  • ballys.com, muckleshootcasino.com, etc.

g) Adult Content (~10+ domains)

  • pornhub.com, eporner.com, dmm.co.jp
  • omg.adult, rabbitscams.sex, etc.

2. Navigation Allowlisting (navigation_allowed) -- 5,694 entries

Defines legitimate redirection pairs between specific sites. Unlike blocking rules (which use "from": "*"), allow rules specify exact source and destination URLs.

Typical examples:

Source (from) Destination (to) Context
play.prodigygame.com sso.prodigygame.com Education SSO
connected.mcgraw-hill.com login.mhcampus.com EdTech login
accounts.google.com lockbox.clever.com Education auth
clever.com login.i-ready.com Education SSO
login.microsoftonline.com elearn.volstate.edu AAD -> LMS
youtube.com google.com Google navigation

Purpose: Whitelist legitimate SSO/OAuth redirection flows, primarily for educational environments (Clever, ProdigyGame, McGraw-Hill, Renaissance, i-Ready, etc.) and enterprise authentication workflows (Okta, Azure AD/B2C, Salesforce).

How It Works

Technical Architecture 

Chrome Browser
    |
    v
Component Updater (CrxDownloader)
    |
    v
ActorSafetyLists (ninodabcejpeglfjbkhdplaoglpcbffj)
    |-- manifest.json        (version + metadata)
    |-- listdata.json        (navigation rules)
    |-- _metadata/
        |-- verified_contents.json  (signatures + hashes)
    |
    v
OptimizationGuide / NavigationPredictor
    |
    v
Rules applied on every navigation event

Operational Flow

  1. Distribution: The file is pushed by Google via the Chrome Component Updater, as a silent component (same mechanism as CRLSet, SafeBrowsing, etc.).

  2. Integrity verification: Before use, Chrome verifies the SHA-256 hashes (treehash) and two signatures:

    • publisher signature: Google's private key (component publisher)
    • webstore signature: Chrome Web Store key
    • Algorithm: RSA-256 (RS256)

  3. Loading: At startup or after an update, listdata.json is parsed by the OptimizationGuide module and loaded into memory.

  4. Real-time evaluation: On every navigation event (click, redirect, window.location, etc.), Chrome matches the (origin, destination) pair against the rules:

    • If matched in navigation_blocked -> the navigation is blocked or interrupted
    • If matched in navigation_allowed -> the navigation is explicitly permitted despite other potential rules

Rule Format 

{
    "navigation_blocked": [
        { "from": "*", "to": "[*.]example.com" }
    ],
    "navigation_allowed": [
        { "from": "https://site-a.com", "to": "https://site-b.com" }
    ]
}
  • "from": "*" = from any page
  • [*.]domain.com = the domain and all its subdomains
  • allowed rules are more specific (exact URLs)

Primary Use Context

This component is primarily intended for managed environments (ChromeOS in schools, IT-administered Chromebooks):

  • K-12 Schools: Protecting students from inappropriate content (alcohol, firearms, drugs, adult content, gambling)
  • Enterprise environments: Protecting Google's internal infrastructure and authentication workflows
  • Legal compliance: Adherence to COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act) and school filtering policies

The 5,694 navigation_allowed rules overwhelmingly target EdTech platforms (Clever, ProdigyGame, McGraw-Hill, Renaissance, i-Ready, Canvas, Schoology, etc.), confirming the educational focus.

Security Key Points

Aspect Detail
Dual RSA signatures Protects against injection of malicious rules
TreeHash SHA-256 Block-by-block integrity verification (4096 bytes)
Silent updates Google can add/remove domains without user interaction
No UI The user cannot see or modify this list
Limited scope Only applies to navigation (not page content)

One-Line Summary

ActorSafetyLists is a navigation blocklist/allowlist silently deployed by Chrome via the Optimization Guide, primarily used to protect users (especially in school environments) from redirections to firearms, alcohol, drug, gambling, and adult content sites, while whitelisting legitimate EdTech authentication flows.