Others might start safe (being built by a reputable publisher) only to slip into unsafe territory if the extension gets sold to a different, less trustworthy publisher. More recently, Mozilla removed 197 add-ons, many from the same company, that were either collecting user data without the user’s consent or were running malicious data. For example, in 2018, four Google Chrome extensions were discovered to be secretly using the browser to click on pay-per-click ads. If you install an unsecured or compromised extension, you might allow attackers to gain access to all the data in your browser. Is it safe to use browser extensions?Īny secure browser can be susceptible to attack from within.
So if this data is sitting in your browser, any extension you install might have access to it. Often, all this tracking & collection happens in-and is enabled by-the browser. Websites track your viewing history, social media tracks likes and follows… And third-party data brokers collect that info to assemble a digital profile for you so they can target you with tailor-made ads. But many browsers have unfettered access to your personal data. It’s where you search, visit webpages, watch videos, and more. Your Internet browser is the main vehicle you use to access the Web. Internet browsers and personal dataīefore we discuss extensions, let’s discuss the browser itself. So how do you decide if a browser extension is safe? In this article: best practices for data safety in browser extensions. Many browser extensions are safe, but some are malicious and could expose you to fraud and identity theft. It can be hard to tell what’s legit and what’s just a fancy piece of malware. And while you might install from a reputable source (like the Chrome Web Store), note that extensions are made by thousands of publishers, some smaller (and less respected) than others. Everything from the sites you visit, keystrokes, even your passwords.
Some require access to almost everything your browser sees. But do you know how browser extensions actually work? They can help you take notes, manage passwords, block ads, and more. Extensions can expand the out-of-the-box functionality of your browser.
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