Hacking extensions for Chrome permit security professionals to use the browser as a security tool. Modern web browsers have a robust architecture and can be unlocked to provide spectacular functionalities.
Google Chrome is one of the most popular browsers globally, mainly due to its clean interface and lightweight. It is designed with various features that result in a faster and more comfortable browsing experience. Chrome browser supports extensions or add-ons that assist users in enhancing the browser’s functionality. The browser currently supports thousands of extensions that directly add useful tools, eliminating the need to install them separately. Some of Chrome’s extensions allow the browser to be used as a security tool for ethical hacking and penetration testing. Users can download and install most of these programs for free.
Here is a comprehensive list of the most popular hacking extensions for Chrome.
1. Tamper Data
Tamper Data extension is a hacking extension for Chrome that enables Chrome users to monitor or modify HTTPS, HTTP, or other browser responses and requests not visible to the user. Most ethical hacking techniques are based on fuzzing, which requires professionals to modify or change requests and inputs.
The Tamper Data extension provides such functionalities. It is an essential tool that supports ethical hacking processes through the Chrome web browser.
2. Wappalyzer
When performing a penetration testing exercise on a web application, a security researcher must gather information regarding the application’s hardware, domain, software (e.g., the current version of the operating system), and its current version.
The information-gathering process is also known as banner grabbing. It assists in leveraging the advantages of the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) database.
The Wappalyzer chrome extension extracts essential information regarding a web application to facilitate a penetration testing exercise. It is available for use in Google Chrome browsers. Other similar extensions include IP Address and Domain Info, and Firebug.
3. Proxy SwitchySharp
All ethical hackers appreciate the essence of a reliable proxy. Proxy SwitchySharp Chrome extension is useful as it provides the proxy and other advanced features for technical users and ethical hackers.
The extension contains a tab switching proxy feature that changes the proxy configurations depending on the requested URL. Essentially, this means that hackers can use multiple proxies for different websites simultaneously without the need to handle the proxies manually. The extension is designed for Chrome browsers only. A similar proxy extension is FoxyProxy.
4. D3coder
D3coder Chrome-based extension uses various encryption standards to decrypt and encrypt hashes and texts instantly. The extension utilizes a dictionary to crack some of the common hashes.
Also, D3coder extension supports decoding and encoding, with an example being base64 encoding. It is a useful tool for ethical hacking since hackers always require to decode and encode hashes and keys instantly.
5. HackBar
HackBar provides web pen testers with an intuitive interface and ease of access. The extension offers a user-friendly space for fuzzing URLs and inputs and is therefore used for ease in XSS, SQL, and other types of attacks.
The HackBar extension assists in hash generation, XSS queries, decoding, encoding, and SQL functions other than an interface. Moreover, the extension helps users easily copy, read, and request URLs, such that the users can quickly test or pen test a web application.
6. Open Port Check Tool
As the name indicates, the Open Port Check Tool is one of the hacking extensions for Chrome that helps hackers detect if a computer has any open ports. The extension alerts users to turn off all unused ports to reduce the possibility of an intrusion.
Therefore, it plays a critical role in pen testing since professionals can identify vulnerable, open ports. Open ports are a security threat since they invite malicious adversaries to exploit underlying vulnerabilities. Easy detection of unused open ports ensures they are shut down to enhance computer security.
7. Bishop Vulnerability Scan
The Bishop Vulnerability Scan extension is used to scan for vulnerabilities in a website. Ethical hackers use it to check a website for common vulnerabilities, such as unsecured version control systems, child and parent directory transversal on the targeted website, and misconfigured files.
The extension runs in the background and automatically checks a website for basic vulnerabilities. Bishop Vulnerability Scan Tool is mainly designed for testing purposes and can also be used in an authorized site to scan other websites.
A similar extension is HPP Finder, often used to scan for HTTP Parameter Poisoning (HPP) exploits.
8. Penetration Testing Kit
The Chrome-based Penetration Testing Kit contains a bundle of useful pen testing exercises for professional, ethical hackers. The extension provides an interface through which users can view and send responses and request information.
Furthermore, it allows ethical hackers to build their requests and use them for XSS, SQL injection, and other similar vulnerability types. Hackers accomplish this by using the tool as a request builder and viewing the resulting responses.
9. Note Anywhere
The first step in most ethical hacking exercises is gathering advanced and essential information about the targeted website or web application. Ethical hackers often use various word processors to collect and save data and quickly load when necessary.
Note Anywhere Chrome extension permits the hackers to gather, load, and save the ethical hacking information quickly. It lets users write anywhere on the site in question and bring back the notes when they revisit the website or whenever needed. Besides, the extension shows the notes created from information gathered on a specific web page. It contains other functionalities that help users export, import, and share the notes for further usage.
10. Site Spider, Mark II
Site Spider, Mark II chrome extension is an updated version of Site Spider extension. The tool equips users with the capability to crawl entire websites and follow all web links. Site Spider, Mark II uses the data collected during crawling to develop a table listing all identified URLs. It includes the URLs’ MIME types and HTTP status code.
The extension runs on the client-side using the Google Chrome browser and utilizes user authentication to access all of the website’s web pages. However, users can stop or pause the extension or restrict its depth using regular expressions.
Besides, an ethical hacker can use the extension to locate broken links and inform the client. The extension also helps determine whether a target website contains vulnerabilities that can lead to adversarial exploitations and sensitive information theft.
11. Cache Killer
Although Cache Killer is not used for any hacking activities, it is an essential Chrome extension for ethical hackers. White-hat hackers tend to open numerous tabs when performing an ethical hacking exercise. Subsequently, the tabs may rapidly fill up the browser cache, resulting in various issues when users attempt to view a web page.
Installing the Cache Killer extension permits ethical hackers to work more efficiently and quickly since it clears Chrome’s cache automatically before opening a new page. It is easy to use since users can disable or enable it at a click of the button.
12. Request Maker
Hackers find the Request Maker extension useful when conducting fuzz tests to detect security vulnerabilities and coding errors. Employing the fuzzing technique requires users to alter requests and inputs. The Request Maker tool simplifies the process since it is designed as a core pen-testing tool.
It enables users to create or capture webpage requests, use the POST data to create new headers, and modify the URL. Although the extension captures requests done using XMLHttpRequests and HTML forms, it is possible to bookmark the requests.
13. Proxy SwitchyOmega
The Proxy SwitchyOmega extension is a successor of the Proxy Switchy, SwitchyPlus, and SwitchySharp tools. Hackers use the extension to hide their IP addresses whenever they perform a penetration testing exercise.
The tool allows pen testers to switch in between proxies effortlessly and quickly. It contains an Auto Switch feature through which users can use a URL to configure automatic proxy-switching. As such, it makes it easy to use multiple proxies for different websites concurrently.
14. iMacros for Chrome
iMacros for Chrome extension is the perfect tool for users seeking to automate repetitive processes. Performing a wide range of website or webpage testing, including recalling passwords and filling out various web forms, requires pen testers to complete numerous repetitive tasks.
iMacros for Chrome enables users to record macros to be used later or share with others. The plugin has general features applied in web transaction monitoring, performance testing, and regression testing. Users can opt to combine it with other testing and web development tools.
15. Form Fuzzer
Ethical hackers use the Form Fuzzer Chrome extension to populate predefined objects into various form fields. The tool also allows users to select radio buttons, items, and checkboxes in forms.
It contains a configuration menu through which users can access and manage the extension’s settings. It is useful in testing forms as users can configure the payloads for forms and rapidly populate the payloads. Hackers find it efficient for performing SQL injection and XSS attacks.
16. Cookie Editor
Cookie Editor is a handy Chrome extension that permits users to edit browser cookies. Hackers deem the tool to be helpful in hijacking vulnerable cookie sessions. The extension’s features enable users to add, delete, edit, or search cookies. Besides, Cookie Editor allows users to export, block, or protect cookies in JSON format. It contains ads that can be disabled from the tool’s settings page.
17. XSS Rays
XSS Ray is a nice Google Chrome extension that helps users locate existing XSS vulnerabilities in a website. The tool identifies the method a site uses to filter the code, inspects objects, and scans for injections. Users can use the extension to easily extract, edit, and view forms without destroying them, even if other tools cannot edit the forms. Numerous penetration testers prefer using the XSS Rays extension as a dedicated tool for testing XSS vulnerabilities.
18. WebSecurify
WebSecurify is a robust web security testing extension used across different platforms. The extension is available for use in other browsers, mobile platforms, and desktops. It is the first web security testing tool designed to run directly from the Google Chrome browser. Pen testers use it to identify URL redirection, XSS, SQL injection, CSRF, File upload, and XSRF vulnerabilities.
The extension contains a built-in web crawler used to crawl and scan all website pages to detect existing vulnerabilities. Although it is not an automatic tool, it lists all possible vulnerabilities present in a URL. Users, however, require to confirm the vulnerabilities manually. WebSecurify pulls various features from its server; hence users should not worry about its database updates.
19. Port Scanner
The Port Scanner extension adds port scanning functionalities to a Google Chrome browser. Users can use the extension to scan if there are any listening TCP ports. It also analyses a given URL or IP address and scans it to establish the presence of open ports. It is a useful tool for securing vulnerable, open ports to enhance security.
20. XSS Chef
XSS Chef is not built like other Chrome extensions since it is developed as a framework. As such, the installation process of the XSS Chef extension is, therefore, different. It is a popular extension that assists users in identifying XSS vulnerabilities present in a web application. It works directly in Chrome and has the following functionalities:
- Monitoring the open tabs of a victim
- Executing JS on all tabs
- Write/read cookies and extract HTML from the local storage
- Acquire and manipulate a browser’s history
- Bypass Chrome script sandbox and extensions to interact with page JS
- Remaining persistent until the entire browser is shut down
- Conducting further exploits, such as keyloggers
- Explore a file system using the file:// protocol
21. Domain and IP Address Information
The Domain and IP Address Information extension is a tool used to gather information to assist users in locating DNS, domain neighbors, routing, geolocation, hosting, search results, ASN, BGP, and DNSBL information of any IP address. It is an essential tool used during the information gathering phase during a penetration testing exercise.