The new add - on will help you avoid data theft and advertising through extensions.
Millions of Chrome users now have a way to protect themselves from the threat of spoofing extensions – you just need to install one more extension.
Software developer and author of programming books Matt Frisby has released an add-on for Chrome called Under New Management, which warns users about changing the owners of already installed extensions.
Extensions created for innocent and useful purposes can end up in the hands of new owners who secretly modify the code, turning it into a tool to steal data from millions of users or insert ads.
Frisbee notes that extension developers are constantly receiving offers to buy their products, and in most cases, new owners are trying to take advantage of the existing audience in a dishonest way. At the same time, users of extensions do not even know about the change of owner and possible risks.
Frisbee claims that Under New Management provides information about changing the owner of extensions so that the user is aware of possible risks and makes an informed choice about the software used.
Google focuses on detecting malicious code, and according to Frisby, the company manages to achieve success thanks to sophisticated automatic packet analysis tools. Frisbee emphasizes that protection against unfair actions of new extension owners is limited to one mechanism, which is not always effective, since updates, despite the absence of malicious code, can misuse user data, display ads, or function for other purposes.
As a Google expert on browser extensions, Frisbee works to improve the extension ecosystem and its security by creating the ExBoost extension promotion platform. Under New Management uses the ExBoost API server to verify developer information, which is made possible by restrictions on access to extension domain data.
Thanks to Frisbee's efforts, the Chrome team is considering implementing an official API to detect the change of ownership of extensions. The Chrome team finds the Frisbee add-on interesting and encourages discussion within the W3C WebExtensions community.
Millions of Chrome users now have a way to protect themselves from the threat of spoofing extensions – you just need to install one more extension.
Software developer and author of programming books Matt Frisby has released an add-on for Chrome called Under New Management, which warns users about changing the owners of already installed extensions.
Extensions created for innocent and useful purposes can end up in the hands of new owners who secretly modify the code, turning it into a tool to steal data from millions of users or insert ads.
Frisbee notes that extension developers are constantly receiving offers to buy their products, and in most cases, new owners are trying to take advantage of the existing audience in a dishonest way. At the same time, users of extensions do not even know about the change of owner and possible risks.
Frisbee claims that Under New Management provides information about changing the owner of extensions so that the user is aware of possible risks and makes an informed choice about the software used.
Google focuses on detecting malicious code, and according to Frisby, the company manages to achieve success thanks to sophisticated automatic packet analysis tools. Frisbee emphasizes that protection against unfair actions of new extension owners is limited to one mechanism, which is not always effective, since updates, despite the absence of malicious code, can misuse user data, display ads, or function for other purposes.
As a Google expert on browser extensions, Frisbee works to improve the extension ecosystem and its security by creating the ExBoost extension promotion platform. Under New Management uses the ExBoost API server to verify developer information, which is made possible by restrictions on access to extension domain data.
Thanks to Frisbee's efforts, the Chrome team is considering implementing an official API to detect the change of ownership of extensions. The Chrome team finds the Frisbee add-on interesting and encourages discussion within the W3C WebExtensions community.
