In Summary
- Despite being a popular browser choice for most people, Google Chrome is far from being an ideal browser for a private and secure browsing experience.
- Fortunately, Chrome has an extensive library of extensions to addresses this problem, so you can keep your identity private and secure your personal data on the internet.
- Google Chrome security extensions help you block malicious contents on websites, encrypt your communication with website servers, block out trackers and scripts from harvesting your personal data, among other things.
Google Chrome currently holds an overwhelming majority of the browser market share worldwide, thanks to its extensive feature set and a vast library of extensions and add-ons that take the whole browsing experience up a notch. These extensions and add-ons are available on the Chrome Web Store, and you can use them on any Chromium-based web browser like Brave, Edge, or Vivaldi.
Chrome Web Store is home to some of the best Google Chrome extensions. These extensions span a wide range of use-cases, ranging from those to improve productivity and manage browser tabs efficiently to the ones that help strengthen online privacy and security. We’ve already covered the best Google Chrome privacy extensions to protect your online identity, and for this one, we’ll take a look at the best Chrome extensions for increasing your online security.
Table of Contents
Best Google Chrome Security Extensions
Generally speaking, there’s a fine line between privacy and security that often gets blurred out and creates confusion. In layman’s terms, privacy refers to protecting your identity in the online world, whereas security is the practice of keeping your personal data secure on the internet. As such, privacy extensions help you safeguard your identity on the websites and services you access on the internet, and security extensions ensure your personal data is secure and isn’t imperiled to numerous dangers on the internet.
1. uMatrix
uMatrix is a multi-utility Chrome extension that allows you to block scripts, ads, scripts, etc., on the internet. You can think of it as a browser firewall, where you can create rules to block specific elements on websites that may/may not be malicious. So, you can control the sites your browser can connect to, the type of data it can download, and the kind of scripts (JavaScript or otherwise) it can execute. Additionally, you can also blacklist/whitelist elements or websites from which you want to disallow/allow content. One neat feature of uMatrix is the tiny badge on its extension button that shows the number of distinct requests attempted by a web page.
Get: uMatrix
2. HTTPS Everywhere
HTTPS Everywhere is an essential security extension you need on your browser. As its name suggests, the extension automatically switches websites using the insecure HTTP to the more secure HTTPS protocol. By doing so, it protects you against various online threats like surveillance, account hijacking, phishing, and data breaches, and subsequently, also ensures all your data transfers — communication between you and the website server — happen in an encrypted manner. As a result, no one between you and the website server can intercept your communication or steal your personal data. HTTPS Everywhere works fine with most websites. However, if it doesn’t, and you trust the website you’re visiting, you can disable it temporarily.
Get: HTTPS Everywhere
3. Avast Online Security
Avast Online Security is a browser security and web reputation extension from Avast. It lets you browse the web without worrying about potential security risks and security vulnerabilities lurking on the internet, which may otherwise put your personal data at risk. Essentially, Avast Online Security works by offering protection against phishing attacks, warning you of malicious websites that are deemed untrustworthy, blocking out tracking cookies to prevent websites and trackers from collecting your data, and showing user reviews for websites to help you identify their associated risks before visiting them. Besides, the extension also lets you hover over website links to check their ratings beforehand and lets you rate websites as you visit them to make the community aware of the potential dangers linked to those websites.
4. Blur
Blur is a popular security service that gives you disposable email addresses, temporary credit card numbers, password management, and a lot more. Aside from other aspects of online security, which other extensions manage pretty well, Blur’s extension takes care of the loose ends on the personal information front with regards to your passwords, online banking, phone numbers, and the likes. So, you can use it to create strong passwords in one click, log into websites quickly, shop online without giving away your credit card details to websites, and most importantly, stop Facebook, along with other online trackers, from tracking your every move on the internet to create your behavioral profile.
Get: Blur
5. TunnelBear/NordVPN
We cannot stress the importance of using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) enough: it is an essential service that you must install on all your devices you use to go online. Using a VPN, you can access the web privately and securely and also unblock geo-restricted content in your region. All your internet traffic goes through an encrypted and secure channel, which brings down the chances of someone snooping on your online activity and personal data significantly. If you already use a VPN service, you can install its extension on your browser to get started. However, if you do not use one, we recommend NordVPN and TunnelBear VPN extensions or checking out our detailed listicle for the best VPN services to find one that suits your requirements.
Get: TunnelBear | NordVPN
6. Click&Clean
Click&Clean, though not directly a security-specific browser extension, does keep you protected on the internet. It does this by helping you clear out all your browsing history, along with cache, cookies, downloads, and other browsing data, in just a single click. Not just that, it also erases the temporary files, client-side web SQL databases, flash cookies, and more, on your browser, to ensure that websites do not track your online activities and learn about your preferences. Besides, Click&Clean also allows you to clear some of your browser data every time you close the browser. Likewise, you can opt between different cleaning modes to choose the browsing data it deletes.
Get: Click&Clean
Securing Your Online Activities with Chrome Security Extensions
When it comes to privacy and security browser extensions, there’s usually an overlap as to which of them serves what purpose. In practice, however, it’s more about the interdependency of one on the other: privacy and security browser extensions work the best to protect your privacy and secure your online activities when they’re put to work in tandem.
It’s for this reason that we recommend using Chrome security extensions in conjunction with privacy extensions.
Related Read: 10 Best Chrome VPN Extensions to Browse Securely