I try out a lot of extensions in Firefox, Chrome, and Edge, both personally and professionally. But when I'm faced with an unfamiliar extension, how do I know it's safe and secure? A new website aims to warn you about suspicious and malicious extensions before you even try to install them. Also: 5 browser extension rules to live by to keep your system safe in 2025 Launched by browser security provider LayerX, the free ExtensionPedia seeks to help individuals and enterprises alike by identifying risky browser extensions. This online database evaluates the security of more than 200,000 extensions across Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. Yes, browser makers do try to vet extensions before they pop up in each respective store, including the Chrome Web Store, Firefox Add-ons and Edge Add-ons. But sometimes a malicious extension can sneak past security, especially one that mimics a legitimate program. Also: I found a malicious Chrome extension on my system - here's how and what I did next User ratings and reviews can also help determine whether an extension is valid and reliable. But even those may not reveal the risks and vulnerabilities a particular extension might carry. ExtensionPedia provides an extra layer of information by pointing out which extensions are safe, risky, or malicious. The site rates each extension with a risk score and a risk level. In general, the lower the ratings, the safer the extension. You can browse listings for many popular extensions or search for a specific...
Is that extension safe? This free tool lets you know before you install
ZDNet
·Lance Whitney
·Published May 28, 2025
·Updated
Affected Software
4 affected components
LastPass LastPass
Grammarly Grammarly
Stealthy Stealthy
Bulk Image Downloader Bulk Image Downloader