The two incidents suggest that users need to be very careful when installing extensions from the Microsoft Edge extensions store as Microsoft’s protections are as weak as Google’s protections on the Chrome Web Store. In other words: there is always the chance that an extension is malicious in nature because of an insufficient vetting process.
What happened to the fake extensions in Microsoft Edge?
Microsoft pulled the fake extensions from its web store and users who installed these in Edge will have them disabled on the next start of the browser automatically.
Where can I download and install extensions for Microsoft Edge?
Microsoft maintains an extensions store similar to the stores maintained by Mozilla and Google. Users of the new Edge web browser may download and install extensions from that store or from the official Chrome Web Store . Mozilla’s and Google’s extensions store had issues with spam, malware, and privacy-invading extensions in the past.
Are Microsoft Store extensions safe to use?
Although Microsoft works to prevent malicious extensions in store. I suggest you always look at the number of users using an extension, the rating, and the comments. These are the main pieces of information that indicated to you whether that extension is safe or not. Keep your antivirus updated.
This of course begs the query “Are browser extensions safe?”
Here’s what you need to know Anyone who uses browsers like Chrome, Safari, Edge or Firefox probably has at least one extension installed. Whether it’s an ad blocker or a download manager, extensions are meant to be helpful tools. But the truth is, browser extensions can actually be more threatening and dangerous than most users realize.
One of the next things we wondered was: is it safe to install browser extensions on my computer?
You must use the same security criteria used when installing software when installing a browser extension. Although Microsoft works to prevent malicious extensions in store. I suggest you always look at the number of users using an extension, the rating, and the comments.
Why is Microsoft Edge so vulnerable to malware?
The reason for the warning is that Microsoft Edge doesn’t integrate with the Safe Browsing protections Google uses to remove threats —so when an extension presents a risk, Google can’t act in the same way to protect users. For Microsoft, that puts them at a disadvantage against Chrome and other browsers on the platform unless and until.