What’s a Browser Extension?
Put simply, a browser extension is just a mini application that you download and allow access to your internet browser in exchange for a service. Most people are familiar with the Google Chrome browser extension marketplace so we’ll focus on Chrome throughout this journal. Maybe the most familiar and controversial extension these days is “Honey”, as the average person has likely seen their commercials promising to apply coupons for the lowest price possible during online shopping. While Honey’s shady and unethical buisness pratices have been in the news a lot lately, they aren’t the source of my frustration today as they do not pose significant security risks to their users.
Whodunnit?
Lately there’s been lots of compromised browser extensions that have resulted in a good bit of user data being exposed. Think about it, in today’s age we practically do everything in the browser when we’re on the computer. This means that an extension could potentially store loads of data about you depending on what level of access it has. This data could be anything from passwords, search history, keyboard logs, card numbers, and more. Truly frightening.
Recently I began my online graduate Master’s in Cybersecurity program. While the program is at a major University within commutable range, I opted for the online program for flexibility as I have a family, a full time job, and operate a buisness. In order to facilitate an environment of honesty and free of cheating, Universities historically used online proctors which are people who will watch you through your camera as you take a test or a quiz. This is already a bit of an invasive and awkward situation for many reasons, but it was a necessary side effect of the ability to do school remotely. As you can maybe imagine, there are challenges that come with human proctoring such as scheduling, staffing, and funding. Human proctors need to be paid for their time, they can only watch one test taker at a time, and you need enough proctors to allow ample windows for test taking which is even more complicated considering time zones. Naturally with AI advancements, some universities have chosen to ditch human proctoring in favor of AI proctoring and this is the source of my frustration today.
How Does it Work?
Oh boy, an easier question would be how doesn’t it work because this thing basically needs access to your whole life.
I’m not kidding, upon download of the browser extension it will request access of your browser to be able to see pretty much everything, have control of everything, use the camera, the microphone, screen record, and even see things that are not in the browser on your computer. This is honestly expected, considering that the University needs to be 100% sure that students aren’t cheating, but honestly I would prefer an option to complete Quizzes and Exams on campus. Alongside all the access the extension needs, it will also need to take a picture of you, take a picture of your ID, and do a full 360 scan of your room which means you’ll need to lift the camera or computer and give it a full blown tour of your room. It’s beyond invasive.
What Can We Do?
If you ever find yourself shopping in the browser extension marketplace, hopefully you are now aware of just how much access these extensions can have. If so, my job is done and you are equipped to make a decision on if you want to make the exchange of privacy for convenience in regards to the extension you are looking to download.
The experience that I shared was unavoidable, it is a required outcome of an incredible opportunity, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t complain about it. That kind of data in the wrong hands could be devastating, but until that day comes we can continue to take things day by day. As I always say we have to give a little bit of privacy away in exchange for convenience at times, and we should exercise discretion on which opportunities are worth that exchange. A Master’s Degree from a major University is worth that exchange in my opinion.
Choose Wisely, and we’ll chat again soon.