3 ms·

> I want my browser to prevent random extensions... Why are you installing random extensions?

by radley 3mo ago

matheusmoreira 3mo ago
I'm not. The only extension I trust enough to install is uBlock Origin.
- FeepingCreature 3mo ago
  Well great! You are already protected from random extensions then.
  - matheusmoreira 3mo ago
    Yeah, by opting out of them altogether. I'd very much enjoy having useful extensions that are not dangerous instead.
    - aucisson_masque 3mo ago
      You can't trust a code that you didn't audit before. End of story. What you are asking for is simply impossible, even without any permissions rogue extensions can still do a lot. It's what some developers spend their entire time working on. If Google couldn't fix it with Android, which has granular permission per applications, why do you think it's going to be even remotely effective on the web browser ?
      - Ballas 3mo ago
        Do you audit all the code running on your PC? I certainly did not audit Chrome (and I also don't really trust it).
lxgr 3mo ago
Not GP, but sometimes I want my browser to do pretty random/niche things without that compromising all of my browsing data.
- inigyou 3mo ago
  How can the browser tell the difference between a random thing you want and a random thing you don't want?
  - dotancohen 3mo ago
    The permissions mechanism.
    - inigyou 3mo ago
      How can the permissions mechanism be fine grained enough to prevent bad random things, and coarse grained enough that you can understand it?
      - dotancohen 3mo ago
        Have you seen AWS IAM? Power users who care about this don't need a GUI - a text file config in any format will do. Especially in this era of LLM assistance.
      - lxgr 3mo ago
        Requesting site access by click or by URL really isn't rocket science. Not nearly every user will get it right, so extensions will probably still have to be monitored for malware for the foreseeable future, but it gives many users at least a chance at privilege minimization.
    - feelamee 3mo ago
      this is not a solution. Running an untrusted software will always be a security drawback. Permissions/sandbox/etc can decrease risk, but not eliminate it

> I want my browser to prevent random extensions... Why are you installing random extensions?

by radley 3mo ago

> I want my browser to prevent random extensions... Why are you installing random extensions?

matheusmoreira 3mo ago

I'm not. The only extension I trust enough to install is uBlock Origin.

FeepingCreature 3mo ago
Well great! You are already protected from random extensions then.
- matheusmoreira 3mo ago
  Yeah, by opting out of them altogether. I'd very much enjoy having useful extensions that are not dangerous instead.
  - aucisson_masque 3mo ago
    You can't trust a code that you didn't audit before. End of story. What you are asking for is simply impossible, even without any permissions rogue extensions can still do a lot. It's what some developers spend their entire time working on. If Google couldn't fix it with Android, which has granular permission per applications, why do you think it's going to be even remotely effective on the web browser ?
    - Ballas 3mo ago
      Do you audit all the code running on your PC? I certainly did not audit Chrome (and I also don't really trust it).

lxgr 3mo ago

Not GP, but sometimes I want my browser to do pretty random/niche things without that compromising all of my browsing data.

inigyou 3mo ago
How can the browser tell the difference between a random thing you want and a random thing you don't want?
- dotancohen 3mo ago
  The permissions mechanism.
  - inigyou 3mo ago
    How can the permissions mechanism be fine grained enough to prevent bad random things, and coarse grained enough that you can understand it?
    - dotancohen 3mo ago
      Have you seen AWS IAM? Power users who care about this don't need a GUI - a text file config in any format will do. Especially in this era of LLM assistance.
    - lxgr 3mo ago
      Requesting site access by click or by URL really isn't rocket science. Not nearly every user will get it right, so extensions will probably still have to be monitored for malware for the foreseeable future, but it gives many users at least a chance at privilege minimization.
  - feelamee 3mo ago
    this is not a solution. Running an untrusted software will always be a security drawback. Permissions/sandbox/etc can decrease risk, but not eliminate it