In a recent article in the BBC, they mentioned how 81,000 users private messages have been leaked and posted for sale on the dark web (See article). The article mentioned how the hackers got into their Facebook accounts by using browser extensions, “Personal shopping assistants, bookmarking applications and even mini-puzzle games”. Be cautious when you install extensions for any browser. Even if you install the extension and it’s safe when you install it, that doesn’t mean that the company who made that couldn’t sell the extension to another company (or hacker) and then they now have full access into your system.
When you do decide to use an extension, follow these recommendations:
- Make sure you know and trust the company that has published the extension.
- Make sure you understand what kind of data the company is collecting and why they need it.
- Regularly review your extensions to make sure you still want/use them.