Cyber Security Awareness Poster
There are a number of browser extensions available that appear to make your life easier. However, browser extensions by design have full access to most of the browser’s resources and information being entered and rendered within the browser. It was just a matter of time before cybercriminals realized that injecting malicious code inside browsers disguised as benign looking browser extensions would give them unlimited access to much of the data passing through the browser.
Many can be disguised as:
- PC cleaners
- PDF or video converters
- Ad blockers
- Screen capture tools
- And more
You may think that you shouldn’t download any browser extensions to stay safe. If you’re unsure, don’t download! But, you can take these steps to help protect yourself from malicious browser extensions:
- Only download from reputable sources.
- Check reviews and number of installs.
- Check for spelling and grammar errors.
- Don’t grant access to unnecessary parts of your computer.
- Keep your browser up to date with safety and security features.
- Install and maintain (reputable) antivirus software.
It can be difficult to tell what’s legitimate and what’s not. Scammer create logos that look similar to fool us all the time. As of July 2023, here are reliable links to some app stores:
- Google Chrome: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/extensions or https://support.google.com/chrome_webstore/answer/2664769?hl=en
- Microsoft Edge: https://microsoftedge.microsoft.com/addons/Microsoft-Edge-Extensions-Home or https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/add-turn-off-or-remove-extensions-in-microsoft-edge-9c0ec68c-2fbc-2f2c-9ff0-bdc76f46b026
- Mozilla Firefox: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/extensions or https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/find-and-install-add-ons-add-features-to-firefox#w_how-do-i-find-and-install-add-ons
- Apple Safari: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203051
Removing a malicious browser extension can be tricky. While you can do it yourself, we’ve seen some pretty robust extensions that hid files all over a user’s computer. If you aren’t a tech-savvy individual, we recommend finding an experienced IT professional to help remove the extension and search the computer for any residual files.
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