Chrome extensions are as useful as they are dangerous. Thanks to them we can take the functions of our web browser to a new level, but at the same time they can be used to spy on us, track us and jeopardize our security. Over time, there are extensions that are gaining great popularity, as has happened with The Great Suspender , one of the most used to suspend inactive tabs and save RAM when browsing. However, from one day to the next its intentions may change, and they go from being a useful and reliable extension to being malware, as has happened with this one.
The Great Suspender has always been one of the extensions considered a “must-have” for Chrome users. A totally free and open source extension, thanks to which it was possible to fully understand its operation. However, in June 2020, its creator sold the extension to a new, unknown organization. And since then, its safety and reliability have plummeted.
It is not uncommon for some companies to take an interest in popular programs and extensions and make offers to developers. Then it is up to the developer himself if he decides to sell his creation, and his soul, or not. In the case of The Great Suspender, the creator did not take long to accept the offer made by the company and leave everything in their hands. And, without realizing it, the extension has become a real spyware that we must erase from our PC as soon as possible.
The Great Suspender fills with remote tracking scripts
Version 7.1.8 of this extension came to the Chrome extensions store with quite relevant changes. This version introduced a series of remote scripts and used remote tracking analysis. The extension requested a number of additional permissions, including permission to manipulate all the user’s web requests.
Google ignored these changes, although Microsoft did not like them and discontinued the extension of its extension store . The developer uploaded a new version after it, removing the script, but keeping the new permissions.
If the extension is open source, then why do we care? If we enter its repository we can see that the latest available version is 7.1.6, a version from May 2020, before the sale to the unknown company. There is no trace of versions 7.1.7, 7.1.8 and the latest, 7.1.9, that we can find in the Chrome Store.
Currently, the extension removed the tracking scripts , but has permissions to control absolutely all of our traffic . It would not be strange that at any time we see new tracking scripts, and even how it injects advertising on the websites we visit. Therefore, the best we can do is delete it as soon as possible.
Remove the extension from Chrome
To uninstall this extension from Chrome, what we must do is write in the address bar “chrome: // extensions /”, the URL that allows us to access the list of extensions installed on the PC. Once there, we will locate The Great Suspender and, by clicking on the “Remove” button , we will uninstall it from the browser.
Now we only have to access this link and report the misuse of the extension to Google . Who knows, we can all get Google to mark it as ” dangerous ” and remove it from the store, preventing its new owners from taking advantage of its popularity to steal user data.
