Security Tips for Browser Extensions
Browser extensions offer convenience but can also pose risks to our accounts. Malicious browser extensions may steal your personal information and login credentials, potentially causing financial losses. As such, it’s important to make sure the extensions you use are safe and trustable.
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2. Removing Malicious Extensions
1. Preventing Risks
i. Verify Your Extension Sources:
Make sure you only download them from the official browser extension stores.
Avoid downloading from unverified third-party sources. Official stores usually review and check the security of their extensions, reducing the risk of malicious plugins.
ii. Regularly Review and Clean Up Extensions:
It’s good practice to periodically check your installed extensions, and remove any you no longer use or recognize. Extensions may become outdated or unsupported over time, leading to security vulnerabilities.
iii. Be Cautious With and Limit Permissions:
When installing extensions, carefully read the permissions and authorization scope that is being requested. Avoid granting excessive permissions, especially to unfamiliar or untrusted extensions. This minimizes the extension's access to your personal information and browser data.
iv. Use Private Browsing or Incognito Mode:
Private browsing helps prevent malicious extensions from tracking your online activities and collecting personal information. If you find malicious extensions and a browser is compromised, consider switching to another browser.
2. Removing Malicious Extensions
Google Chrome
Step 1. Open the Chrome browser.
Step 2. Go to the Extensions page: Type chrome://extensions/ in the address bar and press Enter.
Step 3. Look through your list and locate malicious extensions (you can refer to the image below).
Step 4. Delete the extension. Click Remove on the right side of the extension, and confirm the removal in the pop-up box.
5. Restart the browser. Close and reopen the Chrome browser to ensure the extension is completely removed.
Microsoft Edge
Step 1. Open the Microsoft Edge browser.
Step 2. Go to the Extensions page: Type edge://extensions/?id=[Extension ID] in the address bar and press Enter.
Step 3. Delete the extension. Click Remove on the right side of the extension, and confirm the removal in the pop-up box.
Step 4. Restart the browser. Close and reopen the Edge browser to ensure the extension is completely removed.
Brave
Step 1. Open the Brave browser.
Step 2. Go to the Extensions page: Type brave://extensions/?id=[ExtensionID] in the address bar and press Enter.
Step 3. Delete the extension: Click the extension's Remove button, and then click Remove again in the confirmation dialog box that appears.
Step 4. Restart the browser. Close and reopen the Brave browser to ensure the extension is completely removed.
3. Gentle Reminder
i. The Extension Security Service (hereinafter referred to as "Service") aims to provide security information and advice on how to improve browser security.
ii. The service offers general advice and information, not specific security guarantees. Users should independently assess and decide on the measures to take in order to protect their systems and data security.
iii. Extension security detection services cannot guarantee complete accuracy, and we are not liable for any direct or indirect losses resulting from using this service.
iv. When reviewing and cleaning up browser extensions, users must always operate carefully. Deleting extensions may lead to data loss or limited functionality, and the users themselves must bear their consequences.