99% of People With These Browser Extensions Are Asking to Get Hacked

Clean out the spyware hiding in plain sight (5-minute weekend audit)

You install an extension because it fixes a problem. You forget about it.

You go on browsing like what you just did has no effect on your privacy.

The truth is, it might now. But for others…

That’s where the trouble starts.

Most people have at least one browser extension that still has access to every page they visit, everything they type, every login they make—even if they haven’t used it in months.

Some of those extensions?
They’ve been sold to shady companies.
They’ve started collecting browsing data silently.
They’ve turned into malware without a single update notice.

The browser permissions model makes this easy.
Too easy.

And if you’ve never checked what your extensions are doing behind the scenes… there’s a good chance you’re leaking more than you think.

Today my goal is to help you plug these leaks before someone decides to profit off your oversight.

First, I have a MASSIVE offer going on right now!

Until I reach 5,000 Subscribers I’m giving anyone who becomes a Firewall Insider 25% off for life! This covers monthly or yearly memberships.

This is going to go fast so don’t wait, get the most out of my platform by becoming a Firewall Insider today!

What No One Tells You About Extensions

Let’s say you installed a Chrome extension to download YouTube videos.
It worked great. You used it once or twice, then forgot about it.

But it didn’t forget about you.

That extension still has access to every site you visit—your email, your bank, your health portal. All because you granted it permission once. And if it got sold behind the scenes?

It might not be the same tool you installed at all.

This actually happened.
A popular extension called The Great Suspender—used by millions to manage browser tabs—was sold to a mystery developer. A few months later, it started injecting tracking code and behaving like malware.

No alert. No update popup. Just quiet surveillance in the background of people’s everyday browsing.

Most users had no idea. Until Google pulled it from the Chrome Web Store completely.

That’s how fast trust can turn toxic.
And it’s exactly why this weekend’s fix matters.

📌P.S. If this post already has you wondering what else is leaking behind your back...
My free 5-Day Privacy Reset is a quick email mini-course designed to expose the digital habits you're not even aware of—and help you rebuild privacy from the ground up.

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5-Minute Extension Audit: Here's What to Do

You don’t need to uninstall everything.
You just need to stop trusting tools that forgot to earn it.

Here’s how to clean house:

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1. Open Your Extension Manager

• Chrome: chrome://extensions

• Firefox: Click the puzzle icon → “Manage Extensions”

• Brave: Click menu > Extensions > “Manage Extensions”

• Safari: Preferences > Extensions

• Vivaldi: Tools > Extensions

Yes I know there are other browser but these are the ones most users use. If you would like to know about another browser, leave me a comment.

Action:
Make a full list of what’s installed—especially the ones you forgot about.

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2. Check the Permissions

Look at what each extension actually has access to:

• “Read and change all your data on all websites” is the one to watch.

• If an extension doesn’t need that level of access to function, it’s a red flag.

• Bonus: Look for “runs on all sites” vs “only when clicked.” If it runs everywhere, it’s watching everything.

Tip: In Chromium-based browsers, click “Details” → change access to “on click” whenever possible.

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3. Identify the High-Risk Culprits

Here’s what to remove immediately:

• Anything you haven’t used in over 30 days

• Tools you don’t remember installing

• Extensions with vague developers, generic icons, or no recent updates

• Anything that used to be useful but hasn’t been updated in a while

• Browser toolbars (yes, still a thing)

• Extensions you installed from outside the official store

If you're not sure, search the name + "privacy issue" and see what comes up.

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4. Replace the Shady Ones with Privacy-First Alternatives

Some tools are useful—you just need trustworthy versions.

Here are a few I recommend:

• uBlock Origin – for ad/tracker blocking

• Privacy Badger – for stopping third-party tracking

• Bitwarden – for managing passwords without browser autofill

• ClearURLs – strips tracking from every link you click

• LocalCDN – replaces third-party CDNs with local files to reduce leakage

Avoid random productivity plugins, video downloaders, and “new tab” customizers—they’re notorious for selling user data.

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5. Set a Reminder to Review Quarterly

Add it to your calendar:
Browser Extension Audit – Repeat in 3 Months

This isn’t a one-time fix.
Extensions update. Developers change. Code gets bought and sold.

Staying private means staying on top of what’s running in your browser—because it’s one of the few things that can see everything you do.

Since you’re here you will be ahead of the game, if you take my advice.

📌Want even more privacy focused browser settings? Check out this article:

Weekend Wins: 5 Browser Settings to Change Right Now (No Matter What You Use)

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Want the next step?

Your browser is where the risk shows up.
But your network is where the risk starts.

Your Wi-Fi, your router, your connected devices—they’re all leaking signal. Not because you’re doing something wrong. But because no one ever taught you how to do it right.

That’s why I wrote the No BS Guide to Securing Your Network.
It’s the most practical, stripped-down strategy you’ll find for:

• Hardening your router against silent attacks

• Locking down smart devices that spy by default

• Creating a segmented network setup that keeps you invisible

• Understanding what’s actually exposed when you connect to anything

This is the same step-by-step system I’ve used with clients and my own personal setup. Just a real system that works.

Today I’m rewarding people who take action.

Get your copy for $7.99 ($17.99 value)

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Share this with your network as well so we can get more people enterprise level security at home.

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Let’s Hear It

How many extensions did you forget were still running?
Which ones did you delete and which ones are you still unsure about?

Drop your answers in the comments. I’m genuinely curious what showed up on your list. I guarantee someone else will learn from what you found.

If this post opened your eyes to how exposed your browser really is,
restack it so someone in your circle doesn’t find out the hard way.

And while you’re here…

Coming Monday on The Privacy Files:

The AI Therapist That Turned Her In

She thought it was a safe place to talk. It wasn’t.

One flagged message. One knock at the door.

What happened next changed everything.

Make sure you’re subscribed.
You won’t want to miss this one.

Until then…

Stay Informed. Stay Secure. Stay Curious.