Online Safety

Is That Chrome Extension Spying on You? How to Spot a Malicious Productivity Tool A recent investigation by the FBI into a breach of its own surveillance systems has drawn attention to a growing threat: malicious Chrome extensions disguised as productivity tools. These extensions can bypass standard security controls and exfiltrate data from both individuals and organizations. Here’s what you need to know to protect yourself. ...

Clean Up Your Digital Files Before Using AI: A Privacy Guide for Everyday Users Over the past year, AI tools like ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and Google Gemini have become part of daily life for many people. They help with writing, brainstorming, and even organizing schedules. But there’s a catch that often gets overlooked: these tools can ingest whatever you feed them, including old emails, personal documents, and chat logs that you no longer need. A recent article from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) highlights why records retention—deciding what to keep and what to delete—is a critical first step before adopting AI. The same logic applies to individuals, not just organizations. If you’re planning to use AI more seriously for work or personal tasks, now is a good time to clean house. ...

Never Share These 5 Personal Details With an AI Chatbot — Or Your Money Could Be at Risk AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Claude have become everyday tools for quick answers, drafting emails, and even managing personal tasks. But as adoption grows, so do warnings from security experts about a simple mistake: treating these platforms like private, confidential assistants. ...

Don’t Tell Your AI Chatbot These 5 Things to Keep Your Money Safe AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot have become part of daily life for millions of people. They help draft emails, summarize articles, and answer questions. But their convenience hides a real financial risk: every piece of information you type into a chatbot could be stored, shared, or used against you. A recent column in The Washington Post highlighted five specific things you should never share with an AI chatbot if you want to keep your money safe. Here’s what you need to know. ...

Chrome Extensions Turned Dangerous: Are Your Productivity Tools Spying on You? If you use Chrome for work or personal browsing, you probably have a handful of extensions installed – a password manager, an ad blocker, perhaps a note‑taking tool or a grammar helper. They make life easier. But recent investigations have uncovered a troubling trend: attackers are quietly turning these trusted add‑ons into backdoors for data theft and credential harvesting. This isn’t a theoretical risk; it’s happening now. ...

Chrome Extensions Can Spy on You: How to Spot a Dangerous One and Stay Safe Most Chrome extensions start with a good intention: block ads, take notes, or improve grammar. But the same permissions that make them useful can also turn them into a hidden surveillance tool. In recent months, attackers have increasingly weaponized seemingly innocent “productivity” extensions to siphon passwords, read email, and even move laterally inside corporate networks. Understanding how this happens — and what you can do about it — is no longer optional for anyone who uses the browser daily. ...

Your Chrome Extensions Could Be Spying on You: How to Stay Safe If you use Chrome at work or at home, you’ve probably added a few extensions to save time, block ads, or take notes. They feel harmless—clipboard managers, grammar checkers, PDF tools. But recent reporting has revealed that some of these seemingly benign add-ons can turn into surveillance tools, quietly exfiltrating passwords, emails, or browsing history. ...

Is That Productivity Extension Safe? How to Spot a Chrome Extension Backdoor If you use Chrome for work or personal browsing, you likely have at least a handful of extensions installed. Grammar checkers, tab managers, coupon finders, note-taking tools—they promise to save time and boost efficiency. But some of these same tools have been quietly repurposed as attack vectors. ...

Social Media Scams Are Surging: How to Spot and Stop Fraud Before You Lose Money If you spend any time on social media, you’ve probably seen an ad for a deal that looks too good to be true, a message from a friend asking you to “verify your account,” or a post promising huge returns on a cryptocurrency investment. These aren’t just annoyances—they’re part of a wave of fraud that is now costing Americans billions of dollars each year. ...

Protect Yourself from Malicious Chrome Extensions: A Practical Guide A recent Security Boulevard report (March 2026) highlighted how seemingly harmless productivity tools inside the Chrome Web Store have become a vector for sophisticated attacks. At the same time, the FBI is investigating a breach of its own surveillance system that appears to involve malicious browser extensions. For everyday users—especially those who rely on Chrome at work—this is not just a headline. It is a real risk that can be reduced with a few straightforward habits. ...