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Google Chrome 25 Will Disable Silent Extension Installation

Posted by timothy on from the now-you-must-shout dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Google on Friday announced that it is changing its stance for silently installing extensions in its browser. As of Chrome 25, external extension deployment options on Windows will be disabled by default and all extensions previously installed using them will be automatically disabled."

5 of 121 comments (clear)

  1. Impossible by KiloByte · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How exactly can they block silent installs if the process that wants to add the extensions has the same rights as Chrome -- or strictly higher? The other program can emulate whatever way Chrome uses to mark something as legitimately installed.

    It's only a feel-good measure, that can stop only "nice" extensions which would play by the rules in the first place, and does nothing against malware or the operating system itself (looking at you, Microsoft).

    --
    The creatures outside looked from Alt-Right to Antifa; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
  2. Re:Yeah! by dreamchaser · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You're so right. We should also leave all of our doors and windows unlocked because face it, a determined intruder will just find a way in, and we could be blocking legitimate friends and family. We might actually have to get up and answer the door!

  3. Re:Yeah! by symbolset · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Fact: silent browser extension installation is like a browser version of Microsoft's AutoRun. There is no reason why a legitimate extension needs to install without asking the operator for permission any more than a program on a disk or share needs to autorun on mounting the volume.

    --
    Help stamp out iliturcy.
  4. Re:Yeah! by Albanach · · Score: 5, Interesting

    SOME users experience fatigue and click themselves into deep shit, others pay attention and click themselves out of it.

    How many extensions do you think the average user wants/needs? I really don't see fatigue being much of an issue with browser extensions. A user should only be seeing a couple of warnings a year.

    If the click through presents a warning and defaults to No, then users are much more likely to opt-out, clicking themselves to safety. Even better if there's a 'don't let this site bother me again' option.

  5. Re:Yeah! by 1u3hr · · Score: 5, Funny

    Pro-tip: use the Fact: prefix before making stating any opinion in an online forum.

    And adding the "Period" suffix after your opinion makes it a universal truth. Period.