3/1/2024 0 Comments Shush extension reddit safeSome extensions also have websites with similar functionality as an alternative. If you need certain extensions sometimes, but want to keep most of your browsing secure, you could also install a secondary browser with the extensions limited to that application. In Firefox, type about:addons in the address bar, or click on the main toolbar menu and select "Add-ons and themes." Uninstall anything you don't absolutely need. In Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, you can check your list of extensions by navigating to the chrome://extensions page. You should definitely keep your browser extensions to a minimum: even if an extension is safe now, it might be updated in the future with malware without you realizing it. Mozilla also has a similar rule for developers publishing Firefox extensions. The update was quickly reversed, thankfully, and Google accounts with published extensions on the Chrome Web Store are now required to use two-factor authentication to reduce possible phishing and hacking exploits. In 2017, the creator of the popular Web Developer for Chrome extension had his Google account phished, and the stolen account was used to push an update that injected advertisements into pages. There are also cases of browser extensions being "hijacked" and transferred to another developer, allowing the extension to be updated with malware. The list of examples goes on, and on, and on. The Grammarly extension uses your writing to train AI models. Google removed four extensions with over 500,000 combined downloads in 2018 after they were used to click on page ads without the users' knowledge. In 2016, the popular Web of Trust browser extension was selling identifiable user data after claiming it was anonymous. In 2019, Avast and AVG's Online Security extensions were caught recording website visit data and selling it to Home Depot, Google, Pepsi, and other companies through Avast's subsidiary Jumpshot. However, there are only so many precautions that can be put in place if an extension can't work at all without access to everything. Some browsers also prevent extensions from running on certain websites until they are explicitly allowed. For example, some browser extensions can ask for permission to just the current tab, rather than all websites for all time (including background tabs). Google, Microsoft, and Mozilla have tried to manage extension permissions and provide less-scary alternatives. It's not too far off from granting administrator permission to a Windows application. That's understandable, but access to all the pages you visit is still an extremely high level of trust, especially when so much of our computer activity happens inside a web browser. Writing and grammar assistants like Microsoft Editor and Grammarly fall into this category-adding the text checking features to every (supported) page you visit requires permission to all pages. However, many extensions are more generalized and require access to all pages you visit. It wouldn't be able to see your data on YouTube, a bank website, Wikipedia, or anything else. For example, the Keepa browser extension adds price history graphs and additional buttons to Amazon product pages, so it only requests access to pages on Amazon and the extension's own website. They are only supposed to request the permissions absolutely required for the promised features. Modern browser extensions, much like apps for Android and iPhone, are built on a permissions model. If you haven't already, it's time to trim down your list of installed browser extensions. That requires elevated permissions that browsers can't reasonably protect against when an extension goes rogue, except by banning them after the damage has been done. Many browser extensions are designed to change the contents of each page you visit, or at least check the links you visit to perform some action. This Cybersecurity Awareness Week article is brought to you in association with Incogni.
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