The beauty of a browser like Chrome is the ability to increase its functions by installing extensions from the Chrome Web Store.The problem is that some of these extensions, including some of the most popular ones, are able to spy on internet browsing and, in more serious cases, even display more advertisements than the one on websites.
There are extensions that ask for permission to be able to "read" the history of the browser, favorite sites, the sites that are being browsed, the searches made, the typing of text on the websites and even "read and modify the data on all of them. the websites you visit ".
In some cases these permissions are necessary for the extension to work, while in other cases, less frequent, they are real invasions of privacy that has no justification and that suggests a collection of user data for advertising purposes. .
Those who install a lot of extensions may therefore find a tool that does a automatic security check and can identify potential risks on Chrome. You can then have a opinion on the permissions required by the installed extensions that you can use to decide which extensions to delete.
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The malicious extension checking tool is provided by Chrome itself, within the settings.
Then press the button with three dots on the top right to open the Settings. Then go on Advanced in the menu on the left and press on Reset and cleaning.
Bottom Find malicious software, press on Find to start scanning your computer and check that there are no components and programs installed on your PC that may be dangerous for data theft.
If you want to do a more accurate scan, you can use the program ADWCleaner, designed to eliminate adware and spyware, which also checks the extensions of all browsers, including Chrome.
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If you want you can also use the extension Font Plugin it was designed for this very purpose, to control the extensions installed. Extension Police requires only an authorization and adds an icon to the Chrome toolbar that lists all installed extensions sorted in the two active groups and those disabled. For each extension one is given safety assessment and a switch to enable or disable individual extensions quickly.
The judgment can be green, which means safe, or red, which means potential risk. If it says Danger, it means that you need to do a more thorough check, because we could really have something dangerous installed. By clicking on each extension of the eleco you can find an information sheet where it is explained which permissions it requires, the permissions granted, the name of the developer and then also the user reviews.
It should be borne in mind that not all extensions highlighted as dangerous or potentially at risk are malicious or used for espionage and marketing purposes. It will be up to us to investigate those extensions deemed risky and check if its developer is reliable, also based on the reviews provided in the Chrome web store tab.
Another useful extension for checking installed extensions is Extensions Update Notifier which serves to notify automatic updates of extensions and any changes in the required permissions.
It also lets you know if extensions are installed without our permission. When this happens, a notification appears at the bottom right of the screen with the option to keep the extension enabled or disable it.
The best tool to check if we have installed malicious extensions in Chrome is that of the site CRXcavator, which analyzes Chrome extensions and provides a security report based on the analysis done by the company Duo Labs. To get this information, you have to write the name of the extension you want to check in the search bar of CRXcavator. On the basis of the permissions that the extension requires and on the basis of the study carried out, each extension is evaluated with a risk score.
To protect yourself from dangerous extensions and be sure to browse without being spied on, it is important to scan every now and then for remove virus from Chrome.
