10/12/2018 Browser extension - Wikipedia

Browser extension
A browser extension is a plug-in that extends the functionality of a web browser. Some extensions are authored using web technologies such as HTML, JavaScript, and CSS.[1] Others are developed using machine
code and application programming interfaces (APIs) provided by web browsers, such as NPAPI and PPAPI. Browser extensions can change the user interface of the web browser without directly affecting viewable
content of a web page; for example, by adding a browser toolbar.

Contents
History
Installation
Functions
Development
Unwanted behavior
See also
References
External links

History
Internet Explorer started supporting extensions from version 5 released in 1999.[2] Firefox has supported extensions since its launch in 2004. The Opera desktop web browser supported extensions from version 10
released in 2009. Google Chrome started supporting extensions from version 4 released in 2010. Safari started supporting native extensions from version 5 released in 2010. Microsoft Edge started supporting limited
extensions in March 2016.[3][4]

The syntax for extensions may be quite different from browser to browser, or at least different enough that an extension working on one browser does not work on another. As for search engine tools, an attempt to
bypass this problem is the multi-tag strategy proposed by the project Mycroft, a database of search engine add-ons working on different browsers.[5]

Installation
Many browsers have an online store that allows users to find extensions and see lists of popular extensions. Google Chrome,[6] Firefox,[7] Opera[8] and Safari[9] all provide such stores.

Functions
Browser extensions are used for improving a browser's user interface, security or accessibility, blocking advertisements, and various other features to make browsing the internet easier and more pleasant. There are
many types of extensions that can be used to control various aspects of browsing privacy and mitigate threats. For instance, they may prevent third parties from tracking the user's movements, block ads and scripts, or
enforce good habits.[10]

A browser toolbar is a common type of browser extensions that alters the user interface. It is a toolbar that resides within a browser's window. All major web browsers provide support for browser toolbars as a way to
extend the browser's UI and functionality. Browser toolbars are specific to each browser, which means that a toolbar working on a browser does not work on another one.

Development

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browser_extension 1/3
10/12/2018 Browser extension - Wikipedia
Browser extension development is the actual creation of an extension for a specific browser. Each browser type has its own architecture and application programming interfaces (APIs) to build the extensions, which
requires different code and skills for each extension. The original API was NPAPI. It was first developed for Netscape browsers, starting in 1995 with Netscape Navigator 2.0, but was subsequently adopted by other
browsers. Microsoft did not adopt this API for Internet Explorer and instead chose ActiveX for contents-altering plugins. The browser-altering plugins, called Browser Helper Objects, were designed based on a
Component Object Model (COM) interface. Google later introduced the PPAPI interface in Chrome, even though its mainstream Google Chrome extensions are built using web technologies such as HTML5, JavaScript
and CSS.[1] Firefox has supported or supports many technologies for developing what it calls "Mozilla add-ons", including NPAPI, XUL, XPI, XPCOM, XPConnect and JetPack, as well as web technologies such as
HTML5, JavaScript and CSS. Its WebExtensions API is compatible with the extensions APIs of Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge.[11]

Unwanted behavior
Browser extensions have access to everything done by the browser, and can do things like inject ads into web pages, or make "background" HTTP requests to third-party servers. While web pages are constrained by the
security model of the web browser (in particular, the same-origin policy), extensions are not. As a result, a malicious browser extension may take action against the interest of the user that installed it. Such browser
extensions are a form of malware. Some software downloads come with unwanted bundled programs that install browser extensions without a user's knowledge, while making it hard for the user to uninstall the
extension.[12]

In 2012, a security researcher "developed a remote-controlled piece of malware that functions as a browser extension and is capable of modifying web pages, downloading and executing files, hijacking accounts,
bypassing two-factor authentication security features enforced by some websites, and much more." [13] In May 2013, Microsoft reported discovering a browser extension for Chrome and Firefox that "tries to hijack
Facebook profiles" in Brazil.[14]

Some Google Chrome extension developers have sold extensions they made to third-party companies who silently push unwanted updates that incorporate previously non-existent adware into the extensions.[15][16] In
January 2014, Google removed two extensions from its store due to violations of its own terms of service. The decision to remove the two extensions, "Add to Feedly" and "Tweet This Page", arose when users noticed
these extensions created unwanted pop up ads, after the extensions had been sold by their developers to third parties.[17]

Five percent of computer browser visits to Google-owned websites are altered by computer programs that inject their own ads into pages.[18][19][20] Researchers have identified 50,870 Google Chrome extensions and
34,407 programs that injected ads. Thirty-eight percent of extensions and 17 percent of programs were catalogued as malicious software, the rest being potentially unwanted adware.

See also
Add-on (Mozilla) (list)
Google Chrome Extensions (list)
Internet Explorer add-ons (list)
Userscript manager
Augmented browsing

References
7. "Add-ons for Firefox" (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/extensions/?sort=users).
1. "What are extensions?" (http://developer.chrome.com/extensions/index.html). Retrieved 18 February
addons.mozilla.org. Mozilla Foundation. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
2014.
8. "Extensions" (http://addons.opera.com/extensions). Opera Add-ons. Opera Software. Retrieved
2. "Browser Extensions" (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa753587(VS.85).aspx). Retrieved
15 March 2017.
2010-06-05.
9. "Safari Extensions" (https://safari-extensions.apple.com/). apple.com. Apple. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
3. Bright, Peter (18 March 2016). "Edge browser now has extensions in the latest Windows 10 preview" (h
ttps://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2016/03/edge-browser-now-has-extensions-in-the-latest- 10. Henry, Alan (31 August 2015). "The Best Browser Extensions that Protect Your Privacy" (http://lifehack
windows-10-preview/). Ars Technica. Condé Nast. er.com/the-best-browser-extensions-that-protect-your-privacy-479408034). LifeHacker. Gizmodo Media
Group.
4. Foley, Mary Jo (17 March 2016). "Microsoft releases first Edge extensions preview in newest Windows
10 test build" (http://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-releases-first-edge-extensions-preview-in-newest- 11. "WebExtensions" (https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/Add-ons/WebExtensions). developer.mozilla.org.
windows-10-test-build/). ZDNet. CBS Interactive. Mozilla Foundation. Retrieved 15 March 2017.

5. "Mycroft project" (http://mycroft.mozdev.org/index.html). Retrieved 2011-10-27. 12. "PUP Criteria" (https://www.malwarebytes.org/pup/). Malwarebytes. Retrieved 13 February 2015.

6. "Extensions" (https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/extensions?_sort=1). Chrome Web Store. 13. "Researcher to demonstrate feature-rich malware that works as a browser extension" (http://www.comp
Google. Retrieved 15 March 2017. uterworld.com/article/2492866/desktop-apps/researcher-to-demonstrate-feature-rich-malware-that-wor
ks-as-a-browser-extension.html). Retrieved 15 March 2015.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browser_extension 2/3
10/12/2018 Browser extension - Wikipedia
14. "Browser extension hijacks Facebook profiles" (http://blogs.technet.com/b/mmpc/archive/2013/05/10/br 18. "Ad Injection at Scale: Assessing Deceptive Advertisement Modifications" (https://web.archive.org/web/
owser-extension-hijacks-facebook-profiles.aspx). Retrieved 15 March 2015. 20150605041757/https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/research.google.com/en//pubs/archive/43
15. "Adware vendors buy Chrome Extensions to send ad- and malware-filled updates" (https://arstechnica. 346.pdf) (PDF). Archived from the original (https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/research.googl
com/security/2014/01/malware-vendors-buy-chrome-extensions-to-send-adware-filled-updates/). Ars e.com/en//pubs/archive/43346.pdf) (PDF) on 2015-06-05.
Technica. Retrieved 20 January 2014. 19. "Superfish injects ads into 5 percent of all Google page views" (http://www.pcworld.com/article/292001
16. Bruce Schneier (21 Jan 2014). "Adware Vendors Buy and Abuse Chrome Extensions" (https://www.sch 2/superfish-injects-ads-in-one-in-25-google-page-views.html). PC World. IDG.
neier.com/blog/archives/2014/01/adware_vendors.html). 20. "Superfish injects ads in one in 25 Google page views" (http://www.cio.com.au/article/574450/superfish
17. Winkler, Rolfe. "Google Removes Two Chrome Extensions Amid Ad Uproar" (https://blogs.wsj.com/digit -injects-ads-one-25-google-page-views/). CIO. IDG.
s/2014/01/19/google-removes-two-chrome-extensions-amid-ad-uproar/). blogs.wsj.com. Wall Street
Journal. Retrieved 17 March 2014.

External links
WebExtensions Documentation (https://wiki.mozilla.org/WebExtensions) - for Firefox in the Mozilla Wiki

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Browser_extension&oldid=856541266"

This page was last edited on 25 August 2018, at 23:45 (UTC).

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of
the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browser_extension 3/3