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Any browser extension can at any time be hacked by, or sold to, malicious actors that will make your computer theirs. If you wouldn't run a random executable f

Any browser extension can at any time be hacked by, or sold to, malicious actors that will make your computer theirs. If you wouldn't run a random executable from the internet to see "times around the world" don't get an extension to do it. It's the same risk.

djeiasbsbo 6y ago
That is not true at all. Browser extensions are written in JavaScript, so the source code can be inspected before installation or at runtime (Debuggers are present in major browsers). It might be the same as running a script or binary without looking at it first but it's not the same as just running a compiled proprietary binary.
- jjbinx007 6y ago
  Do you analyse the code in your browser extensions every day? Also, this is likely far beyond the capabilities of the average computer user anyway.
gorhill 6y ago
In Firefox, extensions with the "Recommended" label have to go through code review with each update[1], and incidentally for a "times around the world" extension, there is FoxClocks with the "Recommended" label[2]. --- [1] https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/add-on-badges#w_recommended-extensions https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/add-on-badges#w_recomme... [2] https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/foxclocks/ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/foxclocks/
Glench 6y ago
Chrome and others are cracking down on the security issues. For one, whenever an extension’s permissions change in Chrome, the extension is (silently) disabled. Also, in manifest v3 externally downloaded JavaScript is not allowed at all.