Permission Scanner

Installation & Pinning

Getting started with Permission Scanner is easy. Once installed from the Chrome Web Store, the extension needs to be pinned to your toolbar for quick access.

1. Click the puzzle piece icon (Extensions) in the top-right corner of your browser.
2. Find “Permission Scanner” in the list.
3. Click the pin icon next to it. The Permission Scanner icon will now be visible in your toolbar.

Permissions Used

Permission Scanner requires a few essential permissions to function correctly. These permissions allow the extension to analyze your installed browser components and provide you with accurate security insights. Permission Scanner is privacy-focused and does not collect or transmit any of your personal data.

• activeTab: This permission allows the extension to temporarily access the currently active tab when the user invokes the extension (e.g., by clicking its icon). It is used to open the scanner results in a new tab.
• contextMenus: This enables the extension to add items to your browser’s right-click context menu, providing quick access to the scanner if enabled in settings.
• management: This is the core permission that allows Permission Scanner to inspect your other installed extensions, apps, and themes. Without it, the scanner cannot retrieve the necessary information to assess risks.
• storage: This permission allows the extension to store its settings (like your preferred icon or general options) locally within your browser.

How to Use the Scanner

Scanning your extensions takes just a single click:

1. Click the Permission Scanner icon in your browser toolbar.
2. The extension will open a new tab and automatically begin scanning your installed extensions.
3. The results will be displayed in the dashboard.

The Dashboard Explained

The dashboard provides a comprehensive overview of your browser’s security. It’s organized into four tabs:

• Risk Score: This is the main overview, showing your “Total Risk Score”, the total number of plugins, and a breakdown of extensions by risk category.
• Browse by Plugin: This tab lists all your installed extensions, each with its individual risk score and a detailed list of its permissions. You can click on an extension’s name to go directly to its management page.
• Browse by Permission: Here you can see a list of all permissions used by your extensions, and which extensions are using them. This is useful for identifying all extensions that use a specific, high-risk permission.
• Where You Stand: This tab compares your risk score and number of extensions to the average of other Permission Scanner users, helping you to gauge your security posture relative to the community.

Understanding the Risk Score

Permission Scanner calculates a “Total Risk Score” based on the number of extensions you have and the permissions they request. Permissions are categorized into four levels:

• Critical Risk: These are the most dangerous permissions. They allow an extension to access and manipulate your data across all websites. Examples include <all_urls>, debugger, and webRequest.
• High Risk: These permissions allow access to sensitive information like your browsing history (history), tabs (tabs), or even capture your screen (desktopCapture).
• Medium Risk: These permissions are less invasive but still grant access to things like your bookmarks (bookmarks) or clipboard (clipboardRead, clipboardWrite).
• Low Risk: These are generally harmless permissions needed for basic extension functionality, like storage or alarms.

A high score doesn’t necessarily mean you’re in danger, but it does mean you have a larger “attack surface”. You should carefully review extensions with Critical or High risk permissions.

Configuring Settings

You can customize Permission Scanner by right-clicking the extension icon and selecting “Options”.

General Settings

• Open in new tab: When checked, the scanner will always open in a new tab.
• Add to context menu: Adds a “Scan Permissions” option to your right-click menu.

Icon Selection

Personalize the extension’s toolbar icon. You can choose from several colors (Default, Red, Green, Orange, Beige) or even upload your own custom 19×19 pixel icon.

Other Settings

• Restore Defaults: Resets all settings to their original state.
• Set Keyboard Shortcuts: Opens the Chrome extensions shortcut page (chrome://extensions/shortcuts) where you can set or change the shortcut for Permission Scanner.

Keyboard Shortcut

You can open the Permission Scanner at any time using a keyboard shortcut. The default is:

• Windows/Linux: Alt+Shift+S
• Mac: Command+Shift+S

You can change this shortcut in the settings.

How to Uninstall

If you wish to remove Permission Scanner from your browser:

1. Right-click on the Permission Scanner icon in your browser toolbar.
2. Select “Remove from Chrome…” (or similar option depending on your browser).
3. Confirm your choice in the pop-up dialog.

Alternatively, you can go to chrome://extensions, find “Permission Scanner”, and click the “Remove” button.

About & Support

Permission Scanner was created to bring transparency to the world of browser extensions. We believe you should have full control over your data and privacy.

For more information, to get help, or to check out our other extensions, please use the links in the settings page or just look around this site singleclickapps.com/.