Andrew Proctor, VP of IT and Operations at OpenVPN:
“AdBlockers have a very close relationship with your web browser. They can typically see the actual data you load in your web browser and purposely manipulate pages loaded in Chrome to remove ads and trackers. Fake adblockers can typically manipulate pages in any manner they want and can inject any type of content they want, whether it be malware, clickjacking scripts, etc. Users of adblockers can better vet the adblockers they use by checking to see if they are open source, who the developers are and the track history of the developers/companies developing them.”
.
Weston Henry, Lead Security Analyst at SiteLock:
“Browser extensions are sensitive little pieces of software. Once installed, an extension can introduce vulnerabilities into the browser or system, collect and change a user’s browsing data, or be compromised itself. Users should vet extensions by verifying the developer is reputable and responsive, and that the extension’s description and presentation are professional with proper language use. Reviews and recommendations from reputable tech sites are a valuable resource to help vet extensions. Extension security is about trust. A secure extension will use the minimum permissions required to function. However, that could still mean complete visibility of a user’s browsing data. Like so many other parts of our lives, we put trust in the people and systems with which we interact. Users must practice the same discernment with other systems as they do when using the internet.”
About the Author
The opinions expressed in this post belongs to the individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Information Security Buzz.
