3 Important Safety Tips for Browser Extensions
By MakeTechEasier.com
Browser extensions can greatly enhance your browsing experience. Unfortunately, they can also pose a significant threat to the security of your PC.
–PC Pitstop.
Browser extensions have been around for a while, but it wasn’t until recently that they started playing more of a role in your browsing experience than the pesky toolbars we used to see back in the days of Internet Explorer 6. Granted, there are still many people new to the whole extension thing, along with many hardened veterans in the computing world who feel a certain distrust born back in the days when toolbars were shoved down your throat at every instance. Things have changed immensely as soon as Google Chrome and Firefox became major players, but we still have a long way to go. That’s why I’m going to teach you how to employ safety when using extensions.
1: Just because the extensions are hosted on the developer’s “store” doesn’t mean they don’t bite.
When you look through Firefox’s add-ons site or the Google Chrome store, you’ll find a ton of browser extensions, each with their own ratings and descriptions neatly laid out for you. There’s a ton of stuff you can get and most of it is free.
Both of the above-mentioned sources are very trustworthy and come from the developers of the browser you may be using. Sadly, this doesn’t mean that you should just hop right in and download anything that meets your eyes. There are a lot of malicious extensions out there that can be used to hijack your computers. Granted, browser developers do their best to keep malware out of their extension stores. However, their security isn’t always going to stop the bad guys from butting in and giving you a bad apple. It’s the unfortunate truth of the Internet. To prevent compromising your computer, only get extensions that have lots of positive feedback. Search Google for the name of the extension, the name of your browser, and then the word “malware” after it. See what you find!
This excerpt is shared with permission from maketecheasier.com.
