Can a malicious add-on access internet history and such in Chrome/Firefox? The Next CEO of Stack OverflowDanger of browser extension without any permissions?How to defend myself against potential malicious browser add-ons?How can I assess the trust worthiness of a browser add-on? Are official browser add-ons really safe?Password management in Firefox, Chrome and SafariIs Adblock (Plus) a security risk?are chrome extensions in the Chrome store generally safe?Spoofing random browser information to defend against fingerprintingFirefox password manager and Firefox SyncChrome users and malicious extensionsHow secure is our privacy when using third party addons and extensions?Can malicious Javascript in local HTML -file send files to internet in Firefox/Chrome?

Can this transistor (2N2222) take 6 V on emitter-base? Am I reading the datasheet incorrectly?

Upgrading From a 9 Speed Sora Derailleur?

Can Sri Krishna be called 'a person'?

Is the offspring between a demon and a celestial possible? If so what is it called and is it in a book somewhere?

Why can't we say "I have been having a dog"?

Traveling with my 5 year old daughter (as the father) without the mother from Germany to Mexico

Planeswalker Ability and Death Timing

Strange use of "whether ... than ..." in official text

Free fall ellipse or parabola?

Direct Implications Between USA and UK in Event of No-Deal Brexit

How should I connect my cat5 cable to connectors having an orange-green line?

Shortening a title without changing its meaning

Is it okay to majorly distort historical facts while writing a fiction story?

Horror film about a man brought out of cryogenic suspension without a soul, around 1990

What difference does it make matching a word with/without a trailing whitespace?

Is there a rule of thumb for determining the amount one should accept for a settlement offer?

Why do we say “un seul M” and not “une seule M” even though M is a “consonne”?

How can the PCs determine if an item is a phylactery?

How to pronounce fünf in 45

Another proof that dividing by 0 does not exist -- is it right?

What happens if you break a law in another country outside of that country?

Ising model simulation

Can a PhD from a non-TU9 German university become a professor in a TU9 university?

A hang glider, sudden unexpected lift to 25,000 feet altitude, what could do this?



Can a malicious add-on access internet history and such in Chrome/Firefox?



The Next CEO of Stack OverflowDanger of browser extension without any permissions?How to defend myself against potential malicious browser add-ons?How can I assess the trust worthiness of a browser add-on? Are official browser add-ons really safe?Password management in Firefox, Chrome and SafariIs Adblock (Plus) a security risk?are chrome extensions in the Chrome store generally safe?Spoofing random browser information to defend against fingerprintingFirefox password manager and Firefox SyncChrome users and malicious extensionsHow secure is our privacy when using third party addons and extensions?Can malicious Javascript in local HTML -file send files to internet in Firefox/Chrome?










18















How does Chrome/Firefox make sure add-ons are safe? Do they have any protection against a malicious add-on?



How much access can add-ons have? Can they access internet history or maybe even cookies and such and send them to a server? Do I need to worry about this?



I do have Kaspersky and Kaspersky add-ons but I still wonder should I still worry about add-ons? Considering there is nothing I can do to make sure some add-ons are malicious or not even if they still have an OK reputation.



EDIT: bonus question, if an addon says it can read the data on websites you visit, does it mean it can know which websites I visit and technically can send them to a server and basically record my history this way ? (considering many adblockers and such addons have this permission)










share|improve this question




























    18















    How does Chrome/Firefox make sure add-ons are safe? Do they have any protection against a malicious add-on?



    How much access can add-ons have? Can they access internet history or maybe even cookies and such and send them to a server? Do I need to worry about this?



    I do have Kaspersky and Kaspersky add-ons but I still wonder should I still worry about add-ons? Considering there is nothing I can do to make sure some add-ons are malicious or not even if they still have an OK reputation.



    EDIT: bonus question, if an addon says it can read the data on websites you visit, does it mean it can know which websites I visit and technically can send them to a server and basically record my history this way ? (considering many adblockers and such addons have this permission)










    share|improve this question


























      18












      18








      18








      How does Chrome/Firefox make sure add-ons are safe? Do they have any protection against a malicious add-on?



      How much access can add-ons have? Can they access internet history or maybe even cookies and such and send them to a server? Do I need to worry about this?



      I do have Kaspersky and Kaspersky add-ons but I still wonder should I still worry about add-ons? Considering there is nothing I can do to make sure some add-ons are malicious or not even if they still have an OK reputation.



      EDIT: bonus question, if an addon says it can read the data on websites you visit, does it mean it can know which websites I visit and technically can send them to a server and basically record my history this way ? (considering many adblockers and such addons have this permission)










      share|improve this question
















      How does Chrome/Firefox make sure add-ons are safe? Do they have any protection against a malicious add-on?



      How much access can add-ons have? Can they access internet history or maybe even cookies and such and send them to a server? Do I need to worry about this?



      I do have Kaspersky and Kaspersky add-ons but I still wonder should I still worry about add-ons? Considering there is nothing I can do to make sure some add-ons are malicious or not even if they still have an OK reputation.



      EDIT: bonus question, if an addon says it can read the data on websites you visit, does it mean it can know which websites I visit and technically can send them to a server and basically record my history this way ? (considering many adblockers and such addons have this permission)







      web-browser chrome firefox






      share|improve this question















      share|improve this question













      share|improve this question




      share|improve this question








      edited Mar 26 at 18:33







      Mery Ted

















      asked Mar 25 at 15:22









      Mery TedMery Ted

      10016




      10016




















          2 Answers
          2






          active

          oldest

          votes


















          26














          Modern browser extensions use the WebExtensions API, which enforces a permission model; basically, addons can only have the access that you grant them (you can't reject individual permissions though; if you are uncomfortable with some, you can't install the addon).



          Regarding your specific questions:



          • The browser history can only be requested if the history permission is granted.

          • The cookies permission only works along with a host permission which will define which cookies can be accessed. Host permissions are required for all of the sensitive actions (such as injecting JavaScript into a page, reading the contents of a page, etc).

          Malicious extensions can of course execute arbitrary JavaScript in an isolated context, so something like a malicious cryptominer is certainly feasible.



          For access which doesn't require explicit permissions, see my related question: Danger of browser extension without any permissions?.






          share|improve this answer























          • Thanks for answer, so when you say if permission is granted, do you mean during installation I will be met with a "pop up" that asks me if I'm OK with granting that addon to my history? and if no such popup occurs then it means that addon has no access to history? (I'm asking this because I have never encountered with such popup during installation of my addons)

            – Mery Ted
            Mar 26 at 13:40












          • also a bonus question if you have time to answer: what about sending the visited site url/content to their server immediately after visiting without accessing the history, is this possible for them?

            – Mery Ted
            Mar 26 at 13:47












          • @MeryTed Exactly. It should ask during installation. Chrome eg uses a popup which says "Add [extension]? It can: [permissions; eg 'Read and change all your data on the websites you visit']", Firefox says "Add [extension]? It requires permission to: [...]". What browser are you using?

            – tim
            Mar 26 at 14:29











          • @MeryTed If the permission to history and/or "access/read data on websites you visit" or similar isn't granted, extensions should imho have no primary way to see which websites you visit (there may be side-channels which leak this, but this probably wouldn't leak this to just extensions, but any website, see eg here; extensions may have a bit more options, so the possibility of such an issue may be a bit more likely as compared to websites).

            – tim
            Mar 26 at 14:30












          • so if an addon says it can read data on websites I visit it means it knows which sites I visit and it could technically send it to their server and basically record my history this way? (for example Netcraft Extension addon) (I also use chrome mostly)

            – Mery Ted
            Mar 26 at 18:25



















          9















          how does chrome/firefox make sure addons are safe?




          They inspect them before publishing, and ban those found abusing its rights. But this ban can take from days to weeks.




          how much access can addons have?




          Addons can make anything you can, and more. They can access any server, read any cookie, alter any data, even encrypted by HTTPS, and send any data anywhere. They have to ask your permission when you install, but once you gave permission, for example, to read data on all websites, the addon can read data on all websites you visit.




          should I still worry about addons?




          Yes, you should. If you use an addon that was abandoned and the owner sold it to someone else, chances are pretty high that the new owner will do something nasty.



          What you do? Don't install extensions unless they are from reputable sources, don't need lots and lots of permissions, and are really needed. Installing everything you think is cool will end up compromising your security.






          share|improve this answer




















          • 3





            You may want to add the caveat that extensions request specific permissions. They don't get full access unless they request that and the user approved it at install.

            – Daisetsu
            Mar 25 at 17:03











          • Good point, I added to my answer.

            – ThoriumBR
            Mar 25 at 18:52






          • 1





            "If you use an addon that was abandoned and the owner sold it to someone else, chances are pretty high that the new owner will do something nasty." That's a scandalous claim. Do you have any evidence for this? A study showing the proportion of resold addons that have turned "nasty"? The linked article is interesting but is not sufficient evidence that "the chances are pretty high".

            – Lightness Races in Orbit
            Mar 26 at 11:20












          • So basically if during installation I don't encounter any pop up about permissions of that addons then it means it don't have access to history and etc correct? (because I have never encountered such pop up during installation of my addons in chrome/firefox)

            – Mery Ted
            Mar 26 at 13:42












          • I do not know any sold addon, which did not add something nasty, as long as you let adding tracking and adding advertising count as nasty.

            – allo
            Mar 26 at 13:54











          Your Answer








          StackExchange.ready(function()
          var channelOptions =
          tags: "".split(" "),
          id: "162"
          ;
          initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

          StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function()
          // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
          if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled)
          StackExchange.using("snippets", function()
          createEditor();
          );

          else
          createEditor();

          );

          function createEditor()
          StackExchange.prepareEditor(
          heartbeatType: 'answer',
          autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
          convertImagesToLinks: false,
          noModals: true,
          showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
          reputationToPostImages: null,
          bindNavPrevention: true,
          postfix: "",
          imageUploader:
          brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
          contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
          allowUrls: true
          ,
          noCode: true, onDemand: true,
          discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
          ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
          );



          );













          draft saved

          draft discarded


















          StackExchange.ready(
          function ()
          StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fsecurity.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f206061%2fcan-a-malicious-add-on-access-internet-history-and-such-in-chrome-firefox%23new-answer', 'question_page');

          );

          Post as a guest















          Required, but never shown

























          2 Answers
          2






          active

          oldest

          votes








          2 Answers
          2






          active

          oldest

          votes









          active

          oldest

          votes






          active

          oldest

          votes









          26














          Modern browser extensions use the WebExtensions API, which enforces a permission model; basically, addons can only have the access that you grant them (you can't reject individual permissions though; if you are uncomfortable with some, you can't install the addon).



          Regarding your specific questions:



          • The browser history can only be requested if the history permission is granted.

          • The cookies permission only works along with a host permission which will define which cookies can be accessed. Host permissions are required for all of the sensitive actions (such as injecting JavaScript into a page, reading the contents of a page, etc).

          Malicious extensions can of course execute arbitrary JavaScript in an isolated context, so something like a malicious cryptominer is certainly feasible.



          For access which doesn't require explicit permissions, see my related question: Danger of browser extension without any permissions?.






          share|improve this answer























          • Thanks for answer, so when you say if permission is granted, do you mean during installation I will be met with a "pop up" that asks me if I'm OK with granting that addon to my history? and if no such popup occurs then it means that addon has no access to history? (I'm asking this because I have never encountered with such popup during installation of my addons)

            – Mery Ted
            Mar 26 at 13:40












          • also a bonus question if you have time to answer: what about sending the visited site url/content to their server immediately after visiting without accessing the history, is this possible for them?

            – Mery Ted
            Mar 26 at 13:47












          • @MeryTed Exactly. It should ask during installation. Chrome eg uses a popup which says "Add [extension]? It can: [permissions; eg 'Read and change all your data on the websites you visit']", Firefox says "Add [extension]? It requires permission to: [...]". What browser are you using?

            – tim
            Mar 26 at 14:29











          • @MeryTed If the permission to history and/or "access/read data on websites you visit" or similar isn't granted, extensions should imho have no primary way to see which websites you visit (there may be side-channels which leak this, but this probably wouldn't leak this to just extensions, but any website, see eg here; extensions may have a bit more options, so the possibility of such an issue may be a bit more likely as compared to websites).

            – tim
            Mar 26 at 14:30












          • so if an addon says it can read data on websites I visit it means it knows which sites I visit and it could technically send it to their server and basically record my history this way? (for example Netcraft Extension addon) (I also use chrome mostly)

            – Mery Ted
            Mar 26 at 18:25
















          26














          Modern browser extensions use the WebExtensions API, which enforces a permission model; basically, addons can only have the access that you grant them (you can't reject individual permissions though; if you are uncomfortable with some, you can't install the addon).



          Regarding your specific questions:



          • The browser history can only be requested if the history permission is granted.

          • The cookies permission only works along with a host permission which will define which cookies can be accessed. Host permissions are required for all of the sensitive actions (such as injecting JavaScript into a page, reading the contents of a page, etc).

          Malicious extensions can of course execute arbitrary JavaScript in an isolated context, so something like a malicious cryptominer is certainly feasible.



          For access which doesn't require explicit permissions, see my related question: Danger of browser extension without any permissions?.






          share|improve this answer























          • Thanks for answer, so when you say if permission is granted, do you mean during installation I will be met with a "pop up" that asks me if I'm OK with granting that addon to my history? and if no such popup occurs then it means that addon has no access to history? (I'm asking this because I have never encountered with such popup during installation of my addons)

            – Mery Ted
            Mar 26 at 13:40












          • also a bonus question if you have time to answer: what about sending the visited site url/content to their server immediately after visiting without accessing the history, is this possible for them?

            – Mery Ted
            Mar 26 at 13:47












          • @MeryTed Exactly. It should ask during installation. Chrome eg uses a popup which says "Add [extension]? It can: [permissions; eg 'Read and change all your data on the websites you visit']", Firefox says "Add [extension]? It requires permission to: [...]". What browser are you using?

            – tim
            Mar 26 at 14:29











          • @MeryTed If the permission to history and/or "access/read data on websites you visit" or similar isn't granted, extensions should imho have no primary way to see which websites you visit (there may be side-channels which leak this, but this probably wouldn't leak this to just extensions, but any website, see eg here; extensions may have a bit more options, so the possibility of such an issue may be a bit more likely as compared to websites).

            – tim
            Mar 26 at 14:30












          • so if an addon says it can read data on websites I visit it means it knows which sites I visit and it could technically send it to their server and basically record my history this way? (for example Netcraft Extension addon) (I also use chrome mostly)

            – Mery Ted
            Mar 26 at 18:25














          26












          26








          26







          Modern browser extensions use the WebExtensions API, which enforces a permission model; basically, addons can only have the access that you grant them (you can't reject individual permissions though; if you are uncomfortable with some, you can't install the addon).



          Regarding your specific questions:



          • The browser history can only be requested if the history permission is granted.

          • The cookies permission only works along with a host permission which will define which cookies can be accessed. Host permissions are required for all of the sensitive actions (such as injecting JavaScript into a page, reading the contents of a page, etc).

          Malicious extensions can of course execute arbitrary JavaScript in an isolated context, so something like a malicious cryptominer is certainly feasible.



          For access which doesn't require explicit permissions, see my related question: Danger of browser extension without any permissions?.






          share|improve this answer













          Modern browser extensions use the WebExtensions API, which enforces a permission model; basically, addons can only have the access that you grant them (you can't reject individual permissions though; if you are uncomfortable with some, you can't install the addon).



          Regarding your specific questions:



          • The browser history can only be requested if the history permission is granted.

          • The cookies permission only works along with a host permission which will define which cookies can be accessed. Host permissions are required for all of the sensitive actions (such as injecting JavaScript into a page, reading the contents of a page, etc).

          Malicious extensions can of course execute arbitrary JavaScript in an isolated context, so something like a malicious cryptominer is certainly feasible.



          For access which doesn't require explicit permissions, see my related question: Danger of browser extension without any permissions?.







          share|improve this answer












          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer










          answered Mar 25 at 15:47









          timtim

          24.4k670102




          24.4k670102












          • Thanks for answer, so when you say if permission is granted, do you mean during installation I will be met with a "pop up" that asks me if I'm OK with granting that addon to my history? and if no such popup occurs then it means that addon has no access to history? (I'm asking this because I have never encountered with such popup during installation of my addons)

            – Mery Ted
            Mar 26 at 13:40












          • also a bonus question if you have time to answer: what about sending the visited site url/content to their server immediately after visiting without accessing the history, is this possible for them?

            – Mery Ted
            Mar 26 at 13:47












          • @MeryTed Exactly. It should ask during installation. Chrome eg uses a popup which says "Add [extension]? It can: [permissions; eg 'Read and change all your data on the websites you visit']", Firefox says "Add [extension]? It requires permission to: [...]". What browser are you using?

            – tim
            Mar 26 at 14:29











          • @MeryTed If the permission to history and/or "access/read data on websites you visit" or similar isn't granted, extensions should imho have no primary way to see which websites you visit (there may be side-channels which leak this, but this probably wouldn't leak this to just extensions, but any website, see eg here; extensions may have a bit more options, so the possibility of such an issue may be a bit more likely as compared to websites).

            – tim
            Mar 26 at 14:30












          • so if an addon says it can read data on websites I visit it means it knows which sites I visit and it could technically send it to their server and basically record my history this way? (for example Netcraft Extension addon) (I also use chrome mostly)

            – Mery Ted
            Mar 26 at 18:25


















          • Thanks for answer, so when you say if permission is granted, do you mean during installation I will be met with a "pop up" that asks me if I'm OK with granting that addon to my history? and if no such popup occurs then it means that addon has no access to history? (I'm asking this because I have never encountered with such popup during installation of my addons)

            – Mery Ted
            Mar 26 at 13:40












          • also a bonus question if you have time to answer: what about sending the visited site url/content to their server immediately after visiting without accessing the history, is this possible for them?

            – Mery Ted
            Mar 26 at 13:47












          • @MeryTed Exactly. It should ask during installation. Chrome eg uses a popup which says "Add [extension]? It can: [permissions; eg 'Read and change all your data on the websites you visit']", Firefox says "Add [extension]? It requires permission to: [...]". What browser are you using?

            – tim
            Mar 26 at 14:29











          • @MeryTed If the permission to history and/or "access/read data on websites you visit" or similar isn't granted, extensions should imho have no primary way to see which websites you visit (there may be side-channels which leak this, but this probably wouldn't leak this to just extensions, but any website, see eg here; extensions may have a bit more options, so the possibility of such an issue may be a bit more likely as compared to websites).

            – tim
            Mar 26 at 14:30












          • so if an addon says it can read data on websites I visit it means it knows which sites I visit and it could technically send it to their server and basically record my history this way? (for example Netcraft Extension addon) (I also use chrome mostly)

            – Mery Ted
            Mar 26 at 18:25

















          Thanks for answer, so when you say if permission is granted, do you mean during installation I will be met with a "pop up" that asks me if I'm OK with granting that addon to my history? and if no such popup occurs then it means that addon has no access to history? (I'm asking this because I have never encountered with such popup during installation of my addons)

          – Mery Ted
          Mar 26 at 13:40






          Thanks for answer, so when you say if permission is granted, do you mean during installation I will be met with a "pop up" that asks me if I'm OK with granting that addon to my history? and if no such popup occurs then it means that addon has no access to history? (I'm asking this because I have never encountered with such popup during installation of my addons)

          – Mery Ted
          Mar 26 at 13:40














          also a bonus question if you have time to answer: what about sending the visited site url/content to their server immediately after visiting without accessing the history, is this possible for them?

          – Mery Ted
          Mar 26 at 13:47






          also a bonus question if you have time to answer: what about sending the visited site url/content to their server immediately after visiting without accessing the history, is this possible for them?

          – Mery Ted
          Mar 26 at 13:47














          @MeryTed Exactly. It should ask during installation. Chrome eg uses a popup which says "Add [extension]? It can: [permissions; eg 'Read and change all your data on the websites you visit']", Firefox says "Add [extension]? It requires permission to: [...]". What browser are you using?

          – tim
          Mar 26 at 14:29





          @MeryTed Exactly. It should ask during installation. Chrome eg uses a popup which says "Add [extension]? It can: [permissions; eg 'Read and change all your data on the websites you visit']", Firefox says "Add [extension]? It requires permission to: [...]". What browser are you using?

          – tim
          Mar 26 at 14:29













          @MeryTed If the permission to history and/or "access/read data on websites you visit" or similar isn't granted, extensions should imho have no primary way to see which websites you visit (there may be side-channels which leak this, but this probably wouldn't leak this to just extensions, but any website, see eg here; extensions may have a bit more options, so the possibility of such an issue may be a bit more likely as compared to websites).

          – tim
          Mar 26 at 14:30






          @MeryTed If the permission to history and/or "access/read data on websites you visit" or similar isn't granted, extensions should imho have no primary way to see which websites you visit (there may be side-channels which leak this, but this probably wouldn't leak this to just extensions, but any website, see eg here; extensions may have a bit more options, so the possibility of such an issue may be a bit more likely as compared to websites).

          – tim
          Mar 26 at 14:30














          so if an addon says it can read data on websites I visit it means it knows which sites I visit and it could technically send it to their server and basically record my history this way? (for example Netcraft Extension addon) (I also use chrome mostly)

          – Mery Ted
          Mar 26 at 18:25






          so if an addon says it can read data on websites I visit it means it knows which sites I visit and it could technically send it to their server and basically record my history this way? (for example Netcraft Extension addon) (I also use chrome mostly)

          – Mery Ted
          Mar 26 at 18:25














          9















          how does chrome/firefox make sure addons are safe?




          They inspect them before publishing, and ban those found abusing its rights. But this ban can take from days to weeks.




          how much access can addons have?




          Addons can make anything you can, and more. They can access any server, read any cookie, alter any data, even encrypted by HTTPS, and send any data anywhere. They have to ask your permission when you install, but once you gave permission, for example, to read data on all websites, the addon can read data on all websites you visit.




          should I still worry about addons?




          Yes, you should. If you use an addon that was abandoned and the owner sold it to someone else, chances are pretty high that the new owner will do something nasty.



          What you do? Don't install extensions unless they are from reputable sources, don't need lots and lots of permissions, and are really needed. Installing everything you think is cool will end up compromising your security.






          share|improve this answer




















          • 3





            You may want to add the caveat that extensions request specific permissions. They don't get full access unless they request that and the user approved it at install.

            – Daisetsu
            Mar 25 at 17:03











          • Good point, I added to my answer.

            – ThoriumBR
            Mar 25 at 18:52






          • 1





            "If you use an addon that was abandoned and the owner sold it to someone else, chances are pretty high that the new owner will do something nasty." That's a scandalous claim. Do you have any evidence for this? A study showing the proportion of resold addons that have turned "nasty"? The linked article is interesting but is not sufficient evidence that "the chances are pretty high".

            – Lightness Races in Orbit
            Mar 26 at 11:20












          • So basically if during installation I don't encounter any pop up about permissions of that addons then it means it don't have access to history and etc correct? (because I have never encountered such pop up during installation of my addons in chrome/firefox)

            – Mery Ted
            Mar 26 at 13:42












          • I do not know any sold addon, which did not add something nasty, as long as you let adding tracking and adding advertising count as nasty.

            – allo
            Mar 26 at 13:54















          9















          how does chrome/firefox make sure addons are safe?




          They inspect them before publishing, and ban those found abusing its rights. But this ban can take from days to weeks.




          how much access can addons have?




          Addons can make anything you can, and more. They can access any server, read any cookie, alter any data, even encrypted by HTTPS, and send any data anywhere. They have to ask your permission when you install, but once you gave permission, for example, to read data on all websites, the addon can read data on all websites you visit.




          should I still worry about addons?




          Yes, you should. If you use an addon that was abandoned and the owner sold it to someone else, chances are pretty high that the new owner will do something nasty.



          What you do? Don't install extensions unless they are from reputable sources, don't need lots and lots of permissions, and are really needed. Installing everything you think is cool will end up compromising your security.






          share|improve this answer




















          • 3





            You may want to add the caveat that extensions request specific permissions. They don't get full access unless they request that and the user approved it at install.

            – Daisetsu
            Mar 25 at 17:03











          • Good point, I added to my answer.

            – ThoriumBR
            Mar 25 at 18:52






          • 1





            "If you use an addon that was abandoned and the owner sold it to someone else, chances are pretty high that the new owner will do something nasty." That's a scandalous claim. Do you have any evidence for this? A study showing the proportion of resold addons that have turned "nasty"? The linked article is interesting but is not sufficient evidence that "the chances are pretty high".

            – Lightness Races in Orbit
            Mar 26 at 11:20












          • So basically if during installation I don't encounter any pop up about permissions of that addons then it means it don't have access to history and etc correct? (because I have never encountered such pop up during installation of my addons in chrome/firefox)

            – Mery Ted
            Mar 26 at 13:42












          • I do not know any sold addon, which did not add something nasty, as long as you let adding tracking and adding advertising count as nasty.

            – allo
            Mar 26 at 13:54













          9












          9








          9








          how does chrome/firefox make sure addons are safe?




          They inspect them before publishing, and ban those found abusing its rights. But this ban can take from days to weeks.




          how much access can addons have?




          Addons can make anything you can, and more. They can access any server, read any cookie, alter any data, even encrypted by HTTPS, and send any data anywhere. They have to ask your permission when you install, but once you gave permission, for example, to read data on all websites, the addon can read data on all websites you visit.




          should I still worry about addons?




          Yes, you should. If you use an addon that was abandoned and the owner sold it to someone else, chances are pretty high that the new owner will do something nasty.



          What you do? Don't install extensions unless they are from reputable sources, don't need lots and lots of permissions, and are really needed. Installing everything you think is cool will end up compromising your security.






          share|improve this answer
















          how does chrome/firefox make sure addons are safe?




          They inspect them before publishing, and ban those found abusing its rights. But this ban can take from days to weeks.




          how much access can addons have?




          Addons can make anything you can, and more. They can access any server, read any cookie, alter any data, even encrypted by HTTPS, and send any data anywhere. They have to ask your permission when you install, but once you gave permission, for example, to read data on all websites, the addon can read data on all websites you visit.




          should I still worry about addons?




          Yes, you should. If you use an addon that was abandoned and the owner sold it to someone else, chances are pretty high that the new owner will do something nasty.



          What you do? Don't install extensions unless they are from reputable sources, don't need lots and lots of permissions, and are really needed. Installing everything you think is cool will end up compromising your security.







          share|improve this answer














          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer








          edited Mar 25 at 18:52

























          answered Mar 25 at 15:35









          ThoriumBRThoriumBR

          24.4k85873




          24.4k85873







          • 3





            You may want to add the caveat that extensions request specific permissions. They don't get full access unless they request that and the user approved it at install.

            – Daisetsu
            Mar 25 at 17:03











          • Good point, I added to my answer.

            – ThoriumBR
            Mar 25 at 18:52






          • 1





            "If you use an addon that was abandoned and the owner sold it to someone else, chances are pretty high that the new owner will do something nasty." That's a scandalous claim. Do you have any evidence for this? A study showing the proportion of resold addons that have turned "nasty"? The linked article is interesting but is not sufficient evidence that "the chances are pretty high".

            – Lightness Races in Orbit
            Mar 26 at 11:20












          • So basically if during installation I don't encounter any pop up about permissions of that addons then it means it don't have access to history and etc correct? (because I have never encountered such pop up during installation of my addons in chrome/firefox)

            – Mery Ted
            Mar 26 at 13:42












          • I do not know any sold addon, which did not add something nasty, as long as you let adding tracking and adding advertising count as nasty.

            – allo
            Mar 26 at 13:54












          • 3





            You may want to add the caveat that extensions request specific permissions. They don't get full access unless they request that and the user approved it at install.

            – Daisetsu
            Mar 25 at 17:03











          • Good point, I added to my answer.

            – ThoriumBR
            Mar 25 at 18:52






          • 1





            "If you use an addon that was abandoned and the owner sold it to someone else, chances are pretty high that the new owner will do something nasty." That's a scandalous claim. Do you have any evidence for this? A study showing the proportion of resold addons that have turned "nasty"? The linked article is interesting but is not sufficient evidence that "the chances are pretty high".

            – Lightness Races in Orbit
            Mar 26 at 11:20












          • So basically if during installation I don't encounter any pop up about permissions of that addons then it means it don't have access to history and etc correct? (because I have never encountered such pop up during installation of my addons in chrome/firefox)

            – Mery Ted
            Mar 26 at 13:42












          • I do not know any sold addon, which did not add something nasty, as long as you let adding tracking and adding advertising count as nasty.

            – allo
            Mar 26 at 13:54







          3




          3





          You may want to add the caveat that extensions request specific permissions. They don't get full access unless they request that and the user approved it at install.

          – Daisetsu
          Mar 25 at 17:03





          You may want to add the caveat that extensions request specific permissions. They don't get full access unless they request that and the user approved it at install.

          – Daisetsu
          Mar 25 at 17:03













          Good point, I added to my answer.

          – ThoriumBR
          Mar 25 at 18:52





          Good point, I added to my answer.

          – ThoriumBR
          Mar 25 at 18:52




          1




          1





          "If you use an addon that was abandoned and the owner sold it to someone else, chances are pretty high that the new owner will do something nasty." That's a scandalous claim. Do you have any evidence for this? A study showing the proportion of resold addons that have turned "nasty"? The linked article is interesting but is not sufficient evidence that "the chances are pretty high".

          – Lightness Races in Orbit
          Mar 26 at 11:20






          "If you use an addon that was abandoned and the owner sold it to someone else, chances are pretty high that the new owner will do something nasty." That's a scandalous claim. Do you have any evidence for this? A study showing the proportion of resold addons that have turned "nasty"? The linked article is interesting but is not sufficient evidence that "the chances are pretty high".

          – Lightness Races in Orbit
          Mar 26 at 11:20














          So basically if during installation I don't encounter any pop up about permissions of that addons then it means it don't have access to history and etc correct? (because I have never encountered such pop up during installation of my addons in chrome/firefox)

          – Mery Ted
          Mar 26 at 13:42






          So basically if during installation I don't encounter any pop up about permissions of that addons then it means it don't have access to history and etc correct? (because I have never encountered such pop up during installation of my addons in chrome/firefox)

          – Mery Ted
          Mar 26 at 13:42














          I do not know any sold addon, which did not add something nasty, as long as you let adding tracking and adding advertising count as nasty.

          – allo
          Mar 26 at 13:54





          I do not know any sold addon, which did not add something nasty, as long as you let adding tracking and adding advertising count as nasty.

          – allo
          Mar 26 at 13:54

















          draft saved

          draft discarded
















































          Thanks for contributing an answer to Information Security Stack Exchange!


          • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

          But avoid


          • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

          • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.

          To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




          draft saved


          draft discarded














          StackExchange.ready(
          function ()
          StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fsecurity.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f206061%2fcan-a-malicious-add-on-access-internet-history-and-such-in-chrome-firefox%23new-answer', 'question_page');

          );

          Post as a guest















          Required, but never shown





















































          Required, but never shown














          Required, but never shown












          Required, but never shown







          Required, but never shown

































          Required, but never shown














          Required, but never shown












          Required, but never shown







          Required, but never shown







          Popular posts from this blog

          Adding axes to figuresAdding axes labels to LaTeX figuresLaTeX equivalent of ConTeXt buffersRotate a node but not its content: the case of the ellipse decorationHow to define the default vertical distance between nodes?TikZ scaling graphic and adjust node position and keep font sizeNumerical conditional within tikz keys?adding axes to shapesAlign axes across subfiguresAdding figures with a certain orderLine up nested tikz enviroments or how to get rid of themAdding axes labels to LaTeX figures

          Tähtien Talli Jäsenet | Lähteet | NavigointivalikkoSuomen Hippos – Tähtien Talli

          Do these cracks on my tires look bad? The Next CEO of Stack OverflowDry rot tire should I replace?Having to replace tiresFishtailed so easily? Bad tires? ABS?Filling the tires with something other than air, to avoid puncture hassles?Used Michelin tires safe to install?Do these tyre cracks necessitate replacement?Rumbling noise: tires or mechanicalIs it possible to fix noisy feathered tires?Are bad winter tires still better than summer tires in winter?Torque converter failure - Related to replacing only 2 tires?Why use snow tires on all 4 wheels on 2-wheel-drive cars?