A new study found that half of Google Chrome extensions installed in the Chrome Web Store are collecting personal information that users have granted permission to collect. During the study, conducted by Incogni, 1,237 extensions were analyzed and more than half of them had malicious intentions to potentially expose users’ personally identifiable information (PII), distribute malware or adware, and record passwords and financial information.
Incogni tried to measure the risks associated with giving permission to extensions during installation, but only 1 in 4 did. They found that almost 27% of extensions collected personal data.
What a relief! Shockingly, writing extensions like Grammarly and Compose AI can extract almost 80% of the data.
We’ll ensure you’re fully protected when installing extensions and not only offers protection, but enhances your productivity.
Here’s a quick lesson in protecting yourself from scams. As an extension developer, you can create a program that provides protection without inconveniencing the user with frequent permissions updates and confusing product promotions. But just like anything, even the products with high reviews have weak points. Don’t be afraid to watch out for scammers and practice good common sense when trying out extensions on your site.
Speaking to the media, Aleksandras Valentij, Information Security Officer at Surfshark said: