Browser Extensions: Will They Boost My Online Experience?

There are so many different elements of cybersecurity, and so many facets that are important in this day and age, that covering all of them can seem daunting. You almost need a checklist to make sure you’re fully protected: Antivirus – check! Endpoint solution – check! DNS filtering service – check! VPN – check!

Browser extension – Did this one make the cut? Relatively new in its inception, browser extensions for security and privacy protection are nonetheless a crucial element when thinking about your cybersecurity and protecting your devices.

What is a Browser Extension?

A browser extension, also called an ‘add-on’, is a type of software that is used to add various features and additional functionality to a web browser. To answer our leading question, yes, a browser extension will greatly enhance your browsing experience – although this is also largely dependent on what you are using it for.

A browser extension can be used for practical reasons, such as blocking intrusive ads on webpages, or for more frivolous activity, like allowing users to show their personality by adding logos and pictures to pages they visit. If you visit the Chrome web store, you will actually see how many countless numbers of extension options there are for Google Chrome – purportedly designed to make your online experience more seamless. 

What Should I Be Wary Of?

As useful as browser extensions can be, they could present cybersecurity concerns. This has to do with the permissions they’re given when you install them. For example, some extensions may ask to ‘read and change all your data on the websites you visit’ – quite an intimidating request!

An extension would need these permissions because, when the user navigates to a website, the extension must be able to access the current web page and view (or modify) its data as a part of its functionality. But the problems come when said extension is able to view every web page you visit, modify those web pages, and even send information that it has garnered over the web – thus greatly disrupting the user’s privacy.

Which Browser Extension Should I Choose?

The key here is to only use an extension from a publisher that you trust – and be mindful of which extensions you are actually using. Ideally, if browsing online is one of your favorite pastimes, installing a browser extension that is cybersecurity-related should be your first port of call. The more time you spend online, the more add-ons you have, and the more web pages you visit – the more you need to protect your privacy. 

RAV Online Security, powered by ReasonLabs, is an endpoint protection solution designed to protect home users from other harmful extensions. It also works 24/7 to protect home users from malicious URLs, suspicious downloads, intrusive cookies and trackers, unauthorized notifications, and pop-ups. Working as part of an antivirus solution, Online Security ensures your browsing experience stays secure and out of reach of malware and privacy threats.

As well as offering you browser protection and malicious extension detection, Online Security also performs scheduled and user-initiated scans, available at the touch of a button. Users can also choose their own protection settings, and let the cutting-edge endpoint protection do the work for them. These features can be easily managed through the easy-to-use RAV Online Security home page, which is designed to keep you informed regarding any identified and blocked online threats.

For further information on RAV Online Security or RAV Endpoint Protection, visit www.reasonlabs.com