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Let's build a Chrome extension that steals as much data as possible

mattfrisbie.substack.com

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Re: Let's build a Chrome extension that steals as much data as possible

#51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds like the Apple app store.

Apps are a different thing since even if you sideload apps, one app can’t insert itself in to another app to scrape your data. While extensions are almost like kernel extensions that can do just about anything.

The naivety of innocence is rather blissful, isn't it?

Re: Let's build a Chrome extension that steals as much data as possible

#52
post #43

> If we’re expecting the page DOM to change often (for example, with SPAs), we certainly don’t want to miss out on any valuable data. Just set a MutationObserver to watch the entire page, and reapply listeners as needed. The code below this text is highly inefficient and may lead the user detection solely from page interactivity slowdown alone. A more efficient implementation could read input using the 'input' event[…

Fair point, multiple people have circled this snippet as problematic. I'll confess, I didn't spend much time testing this for performance.

My idea was that separate inputs should have separate debounced handlers, but it's likely you could do away with that and just listen for input events globally with no adverse effect on data collection.

Re: Let's build a Chrome extension that steals as much data as possible

#53

Wait until you see what’s possible with executables! I like this project, but I also worry that eventually we’re going to lose access to extensions entirely because people will take away the wrong message. Safeguards are good, but at a certain point I want my devices to trust that I know what I’m doing.

> Wait until you see what’s possible with executables! The most important thing is whay you tell the user - Windows says "We don't know where Trojan.exe came from, it could be a virus, are you sure you want to run it?" Chrome says: "You downloaded Trojan.exe from our store, we manage it and check it for viruses. It only asks for harmless permission, install it!" One is warning you, the other is entrapment.

This article is not an example of a Chrome extension being downloaded from the store. Nor is it a case of the extension appearing to only ask for harmless permissions ("read and change data on all websites" is above the fold).

Re: Let's build a Chrome extension that steals as much data as possible

#54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> if this kind of issue can fly undetected for so long, what can organizations with drastically less resources than $GOOG do to ensure adequate velocity while not leaving the proverbial barn doors open? If $GOOG can't do it with practically infinite resources then I'm of the opinion that nobody can. Computing is broken.

Are we certain that they are motivated to do so? Google doesn't strike me as a company committed to user privacy.

[deleted]

Re: Let's build a Chrome extension that steals as much data as possible

#55
post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, you can get a full refund. I see where you are coming from, but increasing liability for free software does not feel like a good idea to me at all. There's basically no way you could extract money protected by Googles lawyers army, but any small open-source project or even medium sized company will be extremely vary of releasing anything. I'm not saying you should never go there - GDPR does and it's a net impro…

I don't really disagree, but to play devil's advocate a little, if I was giving away free knives and someone cut themselves, would I be to blame in any way?

Are you marketing it as a safer alternative? Do you have a near monopoly on knives?

Re: Let's build a Chrome extension that steals as much data as possible

#56

> Identify and eject storage devices I mean, why?

It’s all because of chromebooks. Google has had to implement basically every capability as a js api so Chromebook’s can do real work.

You should have been around before chrome books when any extension could do whatever it wanted without any permissions at all. Your understanding of history is missing some key pieces. Over time, Google has generally locked these APIs down not opened them up.

Re: Let's build a Chrome extension that steals as much data as possible

#57
post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apps are a different thing since even if you sideload apps, one app can’t insert itself in to another app to scrape your data. While extensions are almost like kernel extensions that can do just about anything.

The naivety of innocence is rather blissful, isn't it?

But the idea of the app isolation is just that — apps should not be able to touch each other.

There are of course escape hatches, because sometimes you want apps to interact.

Re: Let's build a Chrome extension that steals as much data as possible

#58
post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is not a single person is capable of making informed decisions on extensions. One day they could be good and reputable, next day they have been sold to a malware company. Maybe the middle ground is all extensions have a legal entity in your country so you can sue them for spyware.

What? The same can happen with any piece of software in the world. Why single out extensions?

Not really any: popular open-source software, which gets reviewed and rebuilt by many independent people (distro maintainers) has a much lower chance to be hijacked this way.

Re: Let's build a Chrome extension that steals as much data as possible

#59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you don't install any addons, you'll be fine. You'll have to do without uBlock Origin and other ad blockers, though. Consider Brave if you still want those and want to stick to Chromium. In Firefox, you can go to about:config and set the default permission to deny to a lot of stuff (notifications, clipboard, etc.). You can also disable webgl and other features like those.

> uBlock Origin and other ad blockers Router based adblockers work well, Flint by GL.net comes with nice UI and adhlock and VPN built in. Some people complain about its chinese origin but at least I know only 1 government is spying on me - my provider supplies a router with a linux kernel older than this house. There could be an entire ensemble of Trojans partying there

Not with encrypted DNS (DoH and DoT).

Re: Let's build a Chrome extension that steals as much data as possible

#60
"Let's build a Chrome extension that taps what google is already stealing."

But it isn't stealing if you clicked something somewhere sometime so "stealing" is wrong will be the PR response because people are being paid to not understand "stealing is wrong"

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