Top 10 Firefox extensions to avoid


Welcome back, Firefox fans! We've helped you get started on your journey to browser perfection with our list of 20 must-have Firefox extensions. But the ability to tweak your browser is a double-edged sword. There are extensions best avoided, including some of the most popular.


But some extensions are "bad" in unapparent ways, or just don't provide enough benefits to be worth running. So, in no particular order, let's look at 10 to avoid.








Adblock and Adblock Plus

Obviously, we have some bias when it comes to ad-blocking extensions, as Computerworld is an ad-supported site. We also understand that these are very popular extensions. But if everyone blocked ads, how would sites such as ours continue to offer content free of charge?


More about AdobeAOLBIASGoogleINSMcAfeeMSNPLUSYahoo




You're an idiot.

How dare you tell people to avoid NoScript... It prevented me from getting clickjacked the other day, from a script disguised as an embedded YouTube video. You can always set NoScript to allow scripts globally, and it will still protect you from clickjack attempts and malicious scripts.

No wonder there's so many computer viruses and hijacks nowadays, idiots like you keep misinforming people about how to avoid them.



Hey! Anonymous! Lighten up, dude.



Another reason NoScript is important...

I'm not sure if any of you have heard of EVE Online... It's an MMORPG with over a quarter of a million players, and like all MMO's, it suffers from people selling the game's currency for real money which probably goes to funding terrorism. Many accounts have been hacked, and all of the in-game currency from those accounts stolen, which then goes to being sold illegally. There were a few sites in question, and it was determined that malicious scripts were used to gain access to those systems with the game, and the logins for the game on the system were stolen by keyloggers. People who ran Firefox with NoScript reported visited the same sites, and confirmed that NoScript blocked the malicious scripts and kept their systems safe.



Worst. Article. Ever.

Give me my 3 minutes back, most of these extensions are great.

Mr. F



I agree with everything here except with NoScript. I know what it does and basically using it gives you a little sense of freedom. If you're not a brainless 8 year old kid, a web site you want to be allowed to execute scripts can be set with 2 clicks. I don't understand how it can interfere. As the comment above stated, no wonder people are getting infected, when people like you misinform the already brainwashed internet users. If you find NoScript annoying or hindering to you're internet experience, then you shouldn't be putting articles like this up.



Dissapointed by this article

You say that using NoScript isn't worth it, but then say that are <strong>a few</strong> PDF's having trouble with <em>PDF Download</em> and recommend not to install it.
It's not logic, you should use the same criterion to evaluate every extension.

This article is so bad, that i'll install all the extensions listed here that i don't have yet.



Another inconsistency...

He says to avoid Greasemonkey because it can pre-fetch unwanted scripts that could be malicious... That's what NoScript is for! Just do the world a favor and take down this misinforming article. Someone's gonna get their computer hijacked if they follow it.



Really. This article is garbage. And I love this part:


Oh, I don't know? Stop with the annoying ads? As soon as I do not see another obtrusive ad, I'll uninstall it.



OMG I keep finding things!

The first time I read this article, I just merely glanced over it, for fear of what else I'd find... And I was right to do so, there are some horrible suggestions and tips in this article. It says to avoid tab browser extensions, because quote: "However, it is buggy and conflicts with many other extensions. In fact, even its developers suggest that you not install it!"

I've been using Tab Mix Plus for years now, and I've never had any problems with conflicts or bugs...

Please, for the love of God, take down this article!



You're a bigger idiot.

If you're dumb enough to need NoScript to prevent yourself from getting clickjacked, then you don't really deserve the protection, do you?



Misinformation at its best...NoScript and the like are designed with the novice end user in mind, not everyone is PC savy enough to protect themselves. Some may tend to wonder to a questionable site at their liking, does that mean they deserve to have their pc compromised...NO! Also only opensource browser addons were mentioned, doubt you'd feel the same about a proprietary product whose ads you hosted :D



No Script not useful if you you are a novice.
Contrary to the above comment No Script isn't for the novice user since you will need to have a fair competence and internet experience to know which scripts to allow and which to block.

I tend to agree with the article, the risks of getting infected via scripts are rather exaggerated.
Most people with average surfing habits should survive the rigors of the internet without the need for No Script and not get infected.

It's a bit like saying that there are armed criminals that could potentially harm you out in the big wide world, and that you should protect yourself with a bullet/proof stab proof vest each and every time you step outside your front door.

No would you seriously get so paranoid that you wore a bullet/stab proof vest every time, even though the chances of you ever getting shot or stabbed are pretty minimal if you steer clear of any known danger spots.

Lots swear by NO Script, but how necessary is it?

Well I have been browsing the internet almost daily for 5 years using Opera with it's No Script equivalent disabled and I have never picked up any malware.

I say to all those No Script advocates, relax turning No Script off isn't likely to lead to a rash of infections.



1. NoScript offers a great deal of protection even if you allow scripts globally.

2. Scripts are not only used to infect your computer. They are also used:
a) To track your web usage (of course, you can block google-analytics and the like in your firewall).
b) To create certain annoyances, like changing the content without a user action.
c) There is almost never a valid reason to use javascript.

3. Scripts can greatly slow down your browser because they make it download about 10 times as much data as is really needed.

With external javascript files, a typical web page can use over 500 KB, when it really only needs 10 KB.

4. The people who complain about NoScript are the creeps who use scripting for purposes contrary to the interests of their users.

5. I love web sites that don't work without javascript. They encourage me not to spend so much time on the Web.



The web is the number one attack vector for malware and hackers. And they need some kind of dynamic web technology to get it done. No script is, right now, the only thing that can truly keep you from being infected. If you knew how to use it correctly, then you would simply whitelist all of the known good sites, like you tube, cnn, etc. But for sites that are new, you should just leave them blacklisted, and just use the HTML on those pages. If you think its more important to see a fancy javascript animation than it is to keep your ss# and credit cards from being stolen, then by all means, go surf as if you have no common sense. You are simply hacker food.



Errr Mike you are wrong!

Sandboxie is a much much better bet against infection than NO Script ever was.

Sandboxie doesn't need any user input into which scripts to allow and which to block, and there are no whitelist/blacklist that need to be constantly updated.
Whilst NO SCRIPT might give some a false sense of security, since human error using NO Script is STILL a likely then so are infections .
SandBoxie on the other hand offers the user REAL protection.

Sandboxie users will find NO Script completely unnecessary and redundant as a security tool.



I really liked the article, and the very cool blog



Noscript is very annoying, not worth the hassle if you don't surf shady sites.

Will check Sandboxie as I don't like that even my computer nags me every time i go to a new webpage.

@Anonymous: ligthen up loser.

Comments are now closed

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