extuno
Browser extension security tools, compared
Browser extensions run with broad access and can turn malicious through an update, so teams need a way to assess them. Here are the main categories of browser extension security tooling and where each one fits.
Why assess browser extensions?
With host permissions, an extension can read and change the pages you visit, including cookies, forms, and requests. The same permission that lets a translator rewrite a page lets a stealer read the form you just filled in.
The hardest case is the poisoned update. Version one is clean, which is how it earns the install base. The malicious code ships in a later release that nobody looks at again. A check that runs once at install leaves no baseline to diff the next version against.
Extuno
Extuno analyzes browser and IDE extensions (Chrome, Firefox, VS Code, JetBrains, Eclipse, Discord) and developer packages (npm, PyPI) with 1100+ static rules, a dynamic micro-VM sandbox, AI analysis, and cross-version diffing. Every finding points to a file and a line, and carries the evidence and the recommended action with it. Scan credits are free to start. The browser companion is free too, and it scans the extensions already installed and blocks malicious sites.
Static extension scanners
Automated extension scanners read an extension from its store and score it on signals like permissions, vulnerable libraries, a weak Content-Security-Policy, and store metadata. They give a fast read on an extension. Some well-known scanners in this category have been discontinued and are no longer maintained, so check whether a tool is still active before relying on it.
Extension risk-scoring platforms
AI-driven risk-scoring platforms score browser extensions and connected apps on permissions, behavior, publisher reputation, and data flows, usually on a 0 to 100 scale. They are commonly used for SaaS and workspace governance, often with a free checker and a paid platform.
Manual review
Reading the manifest and source by hand is always an option, and for a one-off judgment call it is a good one. Nobody keeps that up across every version of every extension.