Modern browsers allow you to install a large number of extensions. They are very useful for our day to day, since they allow us to manage tabs, improve security or even optimize resources. Now, many of these add-ons are also a hazard. In this article we talk about why installed extensions could steal bank details .
Browser extensions can steal bank details
A plug-in that we install in the browser could collect all kinds of personal information that we put on the Internet. For example the sites visited or even the passwords. Sometimes we can come across a malicious plug-in that has been designed exclusively to steal data.
What happens if we log into our online bank or make a payment? These extensions could interfere with our browsing and modify or read the data. If we analyze what an extension asks us when we install it, we will see that many of them also request permissions to read and change the data of the websites we visit.
Basically this means that this extension could have full access to all the pages we visit . They could know what sites we are visiting, but also everything we write or send through that website. It would even have the ability to insert ads that could be dangerous.
The most important point is that if this plugin is malicious and has been created to steal data, it could steal the information of the bank accounts , the passwords and, ultimately, have all the control from a remote server.
When we log into our bank account, those extensions could be lurking, waiting to steal all that data. Logically, not all these extensions will have the ability to view our accounts and obtain information. There are permissions that we can modify, for example.
Keep in mind that there are certain extensions that only act on a specific website. It could affect a bank or any page or service that we use on the Internet. They could be designed for it. Chrome or Firefox extensions can spy.
How to install extensions safely and avoid problems
All of this makes it very important to take steps to prevent extensions from stealing personal and banking information. Something fundamental is to choose very well where to install these add-ons. We must always do it from official sources, from the browser stores.
But this alone is not enough to ensure that we install a reliable extension. We must also observe the permissions that we are granting and of course frequently analyze that those permissions have not changed.
In addition, it is essential to update the extensions whenever there is a new version. There could be vulnerabilities that are exploited by hackers to carry out their attacks. We must always keep the latest versions and in this way correct those problems.
On the other hand, regardless of everything related to the extension itself, we must have security tools in our system and have the device also updated. Protecting our computers will also prevent failures and certain attacks against extensions and prevent them from stealing bank data.