Why managing browser extensions should be part of your SaaS governance strategy

Every time an employee clicks "Add to Chrome" or "Install Extension," they're making a security decision on behalf of your organization. They're accepting permissions, granting access to corporate data, and expanding your attack surface—often without realizing the implications.

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Recent supply chain attacks involving browser extensions—such as the Cyberhaven breach and the ShadyPanda campaign—have exposed a critical blind spot: browser extensions operate beyond the reach of traditional network-layer security controls. These weren't obscure tools; they were trusted extensions that bad actors compromised through silent updates, turning them into vehicles for data exfiltration and session hijacking.

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This is the reality of the Workforce Edge—where employees make micro-decisions daily to boost productivity, customize workflows, and extend the capabilities of their trusted tools. Each decision, while individually small, collectively creates an ever-expanding attack surface that threat actors are increasingly exploiting.

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In this post, we'll explore why browser extensions represent a growing security challenge at the Workforce Edge, why they demand the same governance as SaaS and AI apps, and how Nudge Security's browser extension discovery and inventory gives you visibility into these critical workforce behaviors.

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The human element: Small decisions, big consequences

Employees don't install browser extensions with malicious intent. They're looking for tools to help them write better, schedule meetings faster, or block distracting ads. They download extensions from reputable sources like the Chrome Web Store, often from vendors they already trust.

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But every installation is a security decision made without IT oversight. Consider what happens when an employee installs these common extensions:

• Writing assistants like Grammarly: The employee grants permission to read and modify all data on every website they visit—including internal dashboards, customer records, and confidential documents.
• AI meeting assistants like Otter.ai: The employee allows microphone access and permission to modify data on conferencing platforms, potentially exposing sensitive conversations.
• Privacy tools like password managers: The employee grants permission to read and modify data across all websites to enable autofill—creating a single point of failure if that extension is compromised.

These installations happen outside traditional IT procurement processes. There's no approval workflow, no security review, no license management. The employee simply identifies a need, searches for a solution, and clicks install. In seconds, they've granted broad access to corporate resources—often with highly privileged permissions that can bypass DLP and network monitoring tools.

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This is the Workforce Edge in action: employees making autonomous decisions to increase productivity, creating an IT environment that extends far beyond what security teams can see through traditional controls.

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Browser extensions are IT assets that demand IT governance

Browser extensions aren't just convenience tools—they're software assets that interact with corporate data, integrate with business applications, and possess extensive permissions. Yet most organizations treat them as invisible, managing SaaS apps and AI tools while leaving extensions in a blind spot.

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This inconsistency is increasingly dangerous. Threat actors recognize that browser extensions represent a lucrative attack vector precisely because they:

• Operate with high privileges: Extensions can read traffic, modify web pages, access APIs, and interact with sensitive data across all websites.
• Update silently: Unlike traditional software, extensions can be updated without user notification, making it easy for compromised extensions to push malicious code.
• Evade traditional security controls: Because they operate in the browser, they often bypass network monitoring, DLP, and endpoint protection tools.
• Scale quickly: A single compromised extension can impact millions of users across thousands of organizations simultaneously.

The rise of AI-powered extensions like Monica and Sider—which were featured on Google's list of top Chrome extensions—only amplifies this risk. These extensions don't just read data; they process it, send it to third-party AI services, and potentially expose it beyond your control.

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To secure the Workforce Edge, organizations must bring browser extensions into the same governance framework used for SaaS applications and AI tools. They are software that employees self-serve, and they deserve the same visibility, risk assessment, and policy enforcement.

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Gaining visibility into workforce behavior with Nudge Security

You can't govern what you can't see. That's why Nudge Security automatically discovers and inventories all browser extensions installed across your organization on Chromium, Edge, and Firefox browsers, including AI browsers like ChatGPT Atlas and Perplexity's Comet browser.

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This isn't just a list of extensions—it's deep visibility into workforce behavior and the security decisions employees are making every day. With Nudge Security, you get:

• Complete extension inventory: See every extension installed across your organization, including version information and the specific browser where it's deployed.
• Risk-based permission analysis: Understand exactly what permissions each extension has requested, broken down by risk level (e.g., "High Risk" host permissions that grant broad access).
• User and device context: Know which employees are using which extensions and on which devices, giving you the context needed to assess risk and enforce policies.
• Behavioral insights: Identify patterns in how employees are expanding the technology stack through self-service extension installations.

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This visibility transforms browser extensions from a blind spot into a managed part of your IT estate. You can identify high-risk tools before they become vectors for attack, spot outdated or compromised versions, and create policies that protect your organization without blocking the productivity gains that drove employees to install extensions in the first place.

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Secure the Workforce Edge with extension governance

Browser extensions are a defining characteristic of the Workforce Edge—software that employees can instantly self-serve to solve problems and boost productivity. Every installation represents a small decision made by an individual employee, but collectively, these decisions shape your organization's attack surface and security posture.

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Threat actors understand this dynamic. They're increasingly targeting browser extensions because they know these tools operate beyond traditional security controls, possess extensive permissions, and can be compromised to impact millions of users at scale.

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It's time to treat browser extensions as the IT assets they are—software that deserves the same visibility, governance, and security monitoring as your SaaS applications and AI tools.

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Get visibility into the workforce behaviors that are shaping your attack surface. Start your free 14-day trial of Nudge Security and discover the browser extensions installed across your organization today.

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Frequently asked questions

Where does extension inventory collection happen?

Collection happens in the user's browser via the Nudge browser extension. The extension reports extension inventory metadata so it can be surfaced in Nudge.

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Does Nudge monitor what I do with other extensions?

No. Nudge only collects information about which extensions are installed and their basic properties. It does not monitor your activities within those extensions or track how you use them.

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Does this feature work on all browsers?

This feature works on all Chromium-based browsers (Chrome, Edge, Brave, etc.) and Firefox that support the Management API. The implementation is browser-agnostic and uses standard browser APIs.

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What if the same extension exists in multiple browsers?

You'll see it reflected per browser/marketplace context. If you deploy Nudge across multiple browsers, you'll get visibility into each environment.