Extension security - how to disallow extension installation

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Jeff ←

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Dec 14, 2013, 10:06:42 PM12/14/13
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How can I disallow any extensions from being installed, ever?  Or perhaps require a password to install an extension.  Four or five extensions were installed in Chrome without me initiating any of them.  I would like to prevent any program from installing extensions in the future.

I'm using OS X v10.9
Chrome Version 31.0.1650.63

Thank you,

Jeff

Antony Sargent

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Dec 16, 2013, 2:28:07 PM12/16/13
to Jeff ←, Chromium-extensions
We don't really have any well-supported way to do this. There is a "--disable-extensions" command line flag that you could try running with, but I'm not sure that we have automated tests for it so it may break from time to time without us noticing. Also some features of chrome are actually implemented as built-in extensions/apps internally (the bookmark manager and webstore are examples), and I can't remember off the top of my head if --disable-extensions affect those or not. 

Another thing you could try doing is changing the "Extensions" directory in your user profile to be read-only, so that new directories can't be created there. Before though that it's possible this would cause chrome and/or whatever 3rd party software you have on your system that initiated these installs to break in strange and hard-to-diagnose ways. 




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Jeffrey Yasskin

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Dec 16, 2013, 3:10:40 PM12/16/13
to Jeff ←, Chromium-extensions
This is the sort of thing that
http://blog.chromium.org/2013/11/protecting-windows-users-from-malicious.html
is intended to help with, but it won't help you since you're on a Mac.
What are the extensions that got installed without your cooperation?
Be sure to include the IDs, which are visible after you turn on
"developer mode".

On Sat, Dec 14, 2013 at 7:06 PM, Jeff ← <jdk...@gmail.com> wrote:

Jeff ←

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Dec 23, 2013, 5:38:23 PM12/23/13
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Thanks for the replies so far.  I wish to continue using some of my extensions, so I may try to make my extension directory read only if my problem persists.

As far as the extensions that were installed, unfortunately I didn't record all of them, but I can remember four of them because they all came from the same developer:
Amazon Shopping Assistant by Spigot
pfndaklgolladniicklehhancnlgocpp

Ebay Shopping Assistant by Spigot
hbcennhacfaagdopikcegfcobcadeocj

Slick Savings
mhkaekfpcppmmioggniknbnbdbcigpkk

Domain Error Assistant
icdlfehblmklkikfigmjhbmmpmkmpooj

these are all from daniel.spigot

I looked up the IDs from the Chrome Web Store, so I hope they are the same ones used by the extensions when they are installed, but I didn't really want to install them to double check...

-Jeff
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