Modern for Wikipedia

Version 1.41 View in Chrome Web Store

Last scanned: 24 days ago | force re-scan

Extension Details

Developer: modernwiki.app

Rating: 4.6 ★ (181 ratings)

Users: 20,000

Context-Aware Verdict

HIGH

Overall Risk

Trust Factors:

The extension has a solid user base of 20,000 users and maintains a strong 4.6-star rating from 181 reviews, indicating general user satisfaction. The specific focus on Wikipedia modernization suggests a legitimate purpose, and the developer maintains a dedicated domain (modernwiki.app) which adds some credibility.

Concerns:

The tabs permission is excessive for a Wikipedia styling extension, as such functionality typically only requires content script injection. This permission allows the extension to monitor and manipulate all browser tabs, creating potential privacy risks. While the host permissions are appropriately scoped to Wikipedia domains only (which is positive), the combination with tabs permission creates an elevated risk profile. The storage permission, while common, allows data persistence that could be misused.

Recommendations:

Consider running this extension in a separate Chrome profile if you frequently handle sensitive information in other tabs. Monitor the extension's behavior and review what data it might be storing locally. Check if similar Wikipedia enhancement extensions exist with more restrictive permissions. Given the legitimate use case and positive user feedback, the risk may be acceptable for users who primarily browse non-sensitive content, but the unnecessary tabs permission warrants caution for privacy-conscious users.

Findings

HIGH

Broad Host Permissions

This extension has broad host permissions allowing it to access many or all websites. This could potentially be used to steal sensitive data or track browsing activity.

HIGH

High-Risk Permission: tabs

This extension has the tabs permission. Can access browser tab information and manipulate tabs. This could potentially be used maliciously to compromise security or privacy.

MEDIUM

Medium-Risk Permission: storage

This extension has the storage permission. Can store data locally.

Raw Manifest

{
  "name": "Modern for Wikipedia",
  "icons": {
    "16": "images/icon_16.png",
    "48": "images/icon_48.png",
    "96": "images/icon_96.png",
    "128": "images/icon_128.png",
    "256": "images/icon_256.png"
  },
  "action": {
    "default_icon": {
      "16": "images/icon_16.png",
      "48": "images/icon_48.png",
      "96": "images/icon_96.png",
      "128": "images/icon_128.png",
      "256": "images/icon_256.png"
    },
    "default_popup": "popup.html",
    "default_title": "Modern for Wikipedia"
  },
  "version": "1.41",
  "short_name": "Modern for Wikipedia",
  "update_url": "https://clients2.google.com/service/update2/crx",
  "description": "Wikipedia gets a beautiful, clean, modern interface.",
  "permissions": [
    "storage",
    "tabs"
  ],
  "content_scripts": [
    {
      "js": [
        "content_start.js"
      ],
      "run_at": "document_start",
      "matches": [
        "*://*.wikipedia.org/*"
      ]
    },
    {
      "js": [
        "jquery-3.5.1.min.js",
        "content.js"
      ],
      "run_at": "document_end",
      "matches": [
        "*://*.wikipedia.org/*"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "host_permissions": [
    "*://*.wikipedia.org/*"
  ],
  "manifest_version": 3,
  "web_accessible_resources": [
    {
      "matches": [
        "*://*.wikipedia.org/*"
      ],
      "resources": [
        "images/*",
        "content.css"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

by ✦ Astarte

Modern for Wikipedia

Extension Details

Context-Aware Verdict

Findings

Security Analysis Details

Required Permissions:

Host Permissions:

Embedded URLs (1 total):

Raw Manifest

Detections

Manifest Findings