When Extensions Go Bad

I am a big fan of Chrome Extensions. I share my favorites on Twitter and this blog.

Extension can control and access a lot of system resources, that's how they can do so many cool things! With that access comes the possibility of misuse. Google reviews all extensions posted to the Chrome Web Store and requires that developers adhere to certain data and privacy rules.

Any time you install a new extension you see a list of system controls and data that the extension will be able to access.

I am comfortable with Google's review policy and their ability to monitor content from the Chrome Web Store. For this reason, I regularly add new extensions and recommend them to others.

There is, however, a loophole in this process that can cause issues. It doesn't happen often, but can result in a significant security risk.

Occasionally, after publishing an extension, a developer may modify it in ways that violate Google's policies. Frequently this includes intrusive advertising, modification of key Chrome browser settings, or key logging activities. Sometimes this is due to a greedy developer who is trying to make money. I have also seen this happen when a popular extension is sold and the new developer modifies the original extension. It can also be caused when an extension is hacked and modified against the wishes of the developer.

Google is pretty quick about removing such extensions from the webstore. However this doesn't help anyone who installed the extension before it was removed.

Users installed a tool and gave it permission to do a certain set of things but now it is doing things they did NOT give it permission to do. It has become an "Extension Virus"

This recently happened to me.

My Extension Virus Story

I had installed and was using an extension called Web Paint. It was very helpful and I regularly recommended it. I used it for almost a year without incident.

Last week weird things started to happen. Advertisements would randomly appear and my new tab page was filled with ads.

The worst thing was that my Twitter account was hacked. Someone accessed my account and used it to DM thousands of my followers. I am very careful with my Twitter password and and cautions about phishing attempts. I believe that the Web Paint extension was modified to gain access to my Twitter account.

It took me a few days to track down these issues to the Web Paint extension. There were a few signs:

• The Web Paint extension had been removed from the Chrome web store. 
• When I reviewed the permissions for Web Paint (Chrome Menu > More Tools > Extensions > Details) I noticed that it said "allows extension to access proxy settings." This is a very invasive setting which is NOT required for what the extension does. 
• When I disabled the extension, the random ads disappeared. 

Through my research for this article I discovered that Web Paint was the victim of a hack which corrupted the original extension. The developer acted quickly to patch the extension and fix the problem. The issue, as the developer indicates, is that extensions do not auto-update. You must uninstall and reinstall the extension to remove the infected code. 

Keeping your devices and data private requires vigilance and caution. No one (not even the guy who wrote the book on Chromebooks!) is protected against malicious attacks. 

I will continue using the Web Paint extension (it's a great tool)! My attention to security has been heightened as a result of this issue. If you are a Chrome browser user and are experiencing weird issues with your device. Most of the time these issues can be traced back to an "Extension Virus."  

What to do when you have an extension virus

If you have issues, here are the steps to follow: 

• Did you recently install a new extension? If so, disable it (Chrome Menu > More Tools > Extensions)
• If that doesn't solve the problem, turn off ALL of your extensions. 
• Turn them on one at a time until the problems start again. The last extension you enabled is the culprit. Delete it.

Have you had issues with an extension virus? How did you figure out the problem? What steps did you take to fix the issue? 

Be safe out there everyone! 

Replacing Readability with Purify

UPDATE 12/26/2016: I'm happy to announce that Readability will live on as "Mercury Reader." If you previously installed Readability, you will notice that the icon has changed, but it will continue to work as before. If you don't have Mercury, head over to the webstore and get it! 

Readability, one of my favorite Chrome extensions, will be shut down on December 10, 2016. You can read their announcement here.  Readability is one more in a long line of web-based tools that, while popular, did not have a monetization plan and were unable to continue development and support of their free service.

Readability was a tremendous tool for helping students access content without all of the clutter and garbage found on most major news sites.

After hearing of the impending shutdown of readability I spent quite a bit of time searching for alternatives. I tried out a lot of different extensions, but only one came even close to providing the simplicity and effectiveness of Readability.

If you are a Readability user, I recommend that you begin using Purify.

Purify strips out all of the advertisements, videos, related stories and links that you tend to find on news sites. Purify is unique in that it pulls the content into columns and forces the user to scroll right / left rather than one long column like Readability. Purify does not provide any sharing or save for later options. It does offer the ability to change the font size and style. 

Purify is a solid replacement for Readability and the only decent replacement that I have been able to find. If you have other alternatives, please let me a comment!

Replacing the Research tool in Google Docs

By now you may have noticed that the "Research" tool in Google Docs, Slides, and Drawing has been replaced by the "Explore" tool. While Explore adds a few nice features (see my previous post for a complete overview), it has removed the citation feature which was heavily used by K-12 teachers.

There has been a fairly vocal outcry from educators because of the removal of the research tool. If you are disappointed that the research tool is no longer available you can send your suggestions to Google by opening a Google Document and visiting help > Docs Help > Send Feedback. 

Google does seem to be listening to this feedback as a the Docs team has created a survey exploring the use of the research tool. You can complete the survey here.

**Update the survey above is no longer accepting responses. The Docs team is reviewing feedback and considering a solution.**

While I too am a bit disappointed that the Research tool has been removed, there are a few facts to remember: 

• The "citations" generated by the Research tool weren't really citations, they were footnotes.
• Sometimes all you got was a link to the source, not the author, date, publication, etc.
• While the Research tool gave you the option to switch between MLA, APA, and Chicago style, the formatting of the "citations" weren't in the correct format anyway. 
• The research tool didn't create a bibliography or works cited page. 

Yes, the Research tool was a great place to start and I would love to see it brought back. However, there are some even better ways to handle citations and bibliographies that you can use right now!

EasyBib - Add-On for Google Docs

EasyBib has developed a free add-on for Google Docs that make it super easy to cite books, articles, and Websites. Just enter the URL, title, or ISBN number and EasyBib does the rest. The add-on will create a works-cited page (bibliography) for you and supports dozens of citation styles (most of which I have never even heard of!). Get started by connecting the add-on here. 

EasyBib also offers a Chrome Extension, however it requires setting up an EasyBib account and is not as easy to use as the other citation extensions listed below. If you are an EasyBib user, or your school has paid for the premium version of EasyBib, the extension may be of value to you. 

Cite This For Me - Chrome Extension

Visit any website and click the "cite" button and you will receive an automatically generated citation in your preferred format. Click "add to bibliography" to collect all of your sources and then copy/paste or download your list for further use. One neat thing about Cite is the fact that you don't have to log in or create an account to collect your resources (although the recommend that you do.). I tested this extension on several obscure websites and it did a great job. It even prompts you to enter missing information that it is unable to find. 

Apogee Citation Creator - Chrome Extension

Apogee is a super light-weight extension tool. Click the button and get your citation. No configuration, settings, or advanced options. Copy the citation and paste it wherever you need it. Apogee isn't as accurate as Cite This For Me (sometimes it misses the author), but it gets the basics. 

Citation Machine - Website

For very specific or obscure citations (Podcasts, YouTube Videos, etc), you may need to create a manual citation. I have used Citation Machine for many years (it helped me earn my M.Ed. degree!). It has been updated a bit, but is still dead simple to use and supports hundreds of different source material. Citation Machine doesn't automate the citation process, but it guides you through and creates perfect citations. 

I have looked at four possible replacements for the Research tool. Even if Google brings back the Research feature (we can hope!), you will need one ore more of these tools to create a true, properly formatted citation. 

I know there are many more citation tools out there. If you have a favorite that you would recommend, please leave a comment below!

Chrome Web Extensions: MeasureIt! and Color Picker

Google Chrome is the world's second most popular web browser. Chrome features fast and reliable access to the web. This series of posts highlights Chrome extension and web applications, which enhance and extend what can be done with the Chrome web browser. 

While I don't consider myself a web-designer, I work very hard to make the web resources I create are as visually attractive as possible. Image dimensions and color matching are very important, and very unforgiving. Fortunately, I found two Chrome extensions that have made things much simpler! 

MeasureIt! is a handy little Chrome Extension which allows you to measure the dimensions of anything on your screen. Need to know the width of that internal Google Sites column so that your header image fits? No problem use MeasureIt! to find the exact dimensions. No more guessing, uploading, modifying, uploading, modifying, uploading....

MeasureIt! can be installed here from the Chrome Web Store. 

Color Picker is an extension that offers the ability to see the color value (RGB and Hex #) associated with the color of an object on a web page. This is very handy if you are trying to match background colors and eliminate the floating white box around .jpg files. 

The eye-dropper color selector is a tools that I have long used in PhotoShop. I'm glad that there is a way to do this without the cumbersome task of dropping an image into PhotoShop simply to figure out the color values it contains. 

Color Picker can be installed here from the Chrome Web Store. 

I know there are many other Chrome extensions for taking measurements and finding color values. Let me know if there is something better!

Chrome Web Extensions: Bitly URL Shortener

Google Chrome is the world's second most popular web browser. Chrome features fast and reliable access to the web. This series of posts highlights Chrome extension and web applications, which enhance and extend what can be done with the Chrome web browser.

There are two things that strike fear into the hear of any teacher that uses technology tools with students: logins and long URLs. 

Logins are still an issue, but the invention of the "short URL" has made getting students to a website much easier! There are lots of URL shortening services: goo.gl, tinyurl.com, and bitly.com

I am a bit.ly user and have found the Bitly Chrome Extension to be very handy when I need to send a direct URL via a tweet, email, or if I am posting a URL on a webpage.

The Bitly extension sits quietly in the top right corner of my screen. When I need a short URL, I simply click the blow fish icon and select the appropriate options. Because I have a Bitly account, my short links are saved automatically.

The Bitly extension does exactly what I need it to do--quickly and simply. If you shorten URL's on a regular basis, check it out. 

Chrome Extension: Docs PDF/PowerPoint Viewer

Google Chrome is the world's second most popular web browser. Chrome features fast and reliable access to the web. This series of posts highlights Chrome extension and web applications, which enhance and extend what can be done with the Chrome web browser. 

Have you ever been frustrated when you are forced to download a PDF, Word, PowerPoint, or other document from the web in order to view it? The process of downloading, finding, and opening the file takes valuable time. The Docs PDF/PowerPoint Viewer by Google solves this problem by allowing Google Docs to open files quickly so that you can preview document contents. If this is the document you need, you can choose to download it in its native format or send it to your Google Docs account for editing (supported formats only).

Intall the Docs PDF/PowerPoint Viewer

This extension is installed into Chrome and runs as an invisible background extension. After installing the extension, files will open in the Docs viewer without any action required. If at any time you wish to disable or remove the extension, click on the wrench icon and look through your active extensions.

This extension is a must-have for all Chrome users but will be of special importance to anyone who has decided to no longer invest in the Microsoft Office suite. These individuals can still view MS Office files without needing to maintain a copy of this expensive program. This extension also has valuable classroom significance as it simplifies the process of viewing files. Younger students who may struggle to download, find, and open a file will be greatly assisted by the installation of this extension.

Chrome Extension: Docs PDF/PowerPoint Viewer

Intall the Docs PDF/PowerPoint Viewer

New Series: Chrome Web Apps and Extensions

Google Apps for Education has become a platform for accessing web-based tools as much as it is a tool itself. While Google Docs, Sites, Calendar, etc remain the core tools, more and more third party services are being made available.


In addition to the growing popularity of Google Apps for Education, the Chrome web browser and operating system continue to gain popularity as a gateway to the web. For schools using Google Apps for Education it makes sense that they would also adopt the Chrome web browser which is the most reliable and stable way to access technically complex products such as Google Docs and HTLM5 websites. General users are also realizing some of the benefits of Chrome and have begun to switch, making Chrome the second most popular way to access the web.

Because of the popularity of Google Apps for Education, Chrome OS, and the Chrome web browser, I've decided to launch a new series of posts on Chrome web Apps extensions. Each week I will select and review a different app and extension and discuss its application for personal productivity as well as its classroom potential.

Chrome Web Extensions are "add-ons" which increase the function or abilities of the Chrome browser. Some extension provide background services while others are accessed for specific tasks. Users who sign-in to the Chrome browser can sync their extensions across multiple devices.

Chrome Web Apps are more robust and full-featured web programs that allow users to accomplish more complex tasks. Many web apps are built using HTLM5 which enables very complex multimedia usage. Generally, web apps run full-screen and function like traditional desktop programs.

I hope you will check back to learn more about my favorite Chrome Apps and Extensions. What's your favorite? Please let me know by leaving a comment.