I use lastpass as an extension, and there are probably a few that do various things that are necessary. Many other people may have quite a number of extensions doing things they want. According to an article by Krebs on Security, maybe its time that we figure out what extensions we absolutely need.
What I’m not clear on is whether this is just a Firefox issue, a Chrome issue, or both. We also can’t forget about the new Chromium edge which Jaws now supports. The Case for Limiting Your Browser Extensions and I think its a great read if you don’t read anything else today.
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Hi Shaun, yes, thats the basic concept, and you understand. Also asking if you know where you are and what you’ve installed is good too.
Hmmmm I think everyone uses extentions jared.
Now if you just load something because it looks good without checking where it comes from its your own fault if its not trustable.
For example, I have 4 extentions.
A script blocker, called noscript from its website, acoppy of ublock origin, 2 extentions from electronic frontier foundation to do with https and privacy.
The only other extention I have is to do with sounds for the brouser to use.
I don’t have any on edge in fact I removed all the extentions there.
On chrome, bar the google apps, and stuff like adobe reader, flash and shockwave and the like, bar ublock and the eff stuff I have nothing.
A lot of stuff I own say I should use their extention but I don’t.
The only other extentions I have which are not spacifically somethings I wanted have to do with my workstation’s support system, and my printer.
I also have a system with an epub reader on it.
I think the message is not being carefull of what you have but knowing what you have and need.
In my daily life as a servicing admin I come accross things, extentions, apps, programs and other things.
While not everything is malware or bundled unwanted stuff it becomes a risk especially if the user installs it for something, does what ever it is then just forgets it.
I come to clean a system and ask the user, what does that do, I have never seen this before, and they go, I don’t know.
But you must I say you loaded it.
Then the usual responce is, yes I did but I forgot why.
My dad has half screen syndrome, this is where he will read a quarter to half a screen, click then read another quarter of the screen to half on another screen.
So when he clicks something he may actually be in the wrong place.
He gets easily destracted.
For example he was wanting to get a train time table.
A simple opperation, but after installing all sorts of extentions, and software and stuff he couldn’t make heads or tails of he finally was asked to buy a lot of stuff and said to me, I am trying to find this fucking time table.
I ask him, where are you.
He said I don’t know.
And how did you get so far away.
I don’t fucking know!
He had several windows open at the time and I suspect while clicking about and getting destracted the original window got hidden or something.
After clearing all the unwanted programs, extention and malware, I tried the commands I would do to get the task done and couldn’t understand where he could go wrong.
It must be a generational thing, me and those in my generation have no issue to say search some music, find the right sort of audio software etc.
However I have had 3 callouts over the years or so to users that tried to find music, found adds and now are full of malware because their minds wandered.
My dad frequently has issues with simple folder and cloud commands.
What would take me 5 minutes even with me about takes 3 hours or more.
The only way to get that right, is log all the things they do and open and try to install, and block all of it and only stuff the user needs then ask them what they are doing but it is a boring and drawn out process.