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"path": "/t/is-it-better-to-use-a-browser-extension-for-a-password-manager-or-install-a-standalone-program/37854#post_3",
"publishedAt": "2026-05-12T18:01:55.000Z",
"site": "https://discuss.privacyguides.net",
"tags": [
"documented security vulnerabilities",
"adding an anti-phishing mitigation"
],
"textContent": "I think it’s more of a circular benefit graph than a linear scale of better/worse\n\nA lot of password manager standalone programs are built on electron, for example, which has documented security vulnerabilities. A lot of reasonable threat models may consider that an unacceptable risk, though you could mitigate it by running it in a virtual machine\n\nBy using JS to autofill sites by URL, you are adding an anti-phishing mitigation to your setup, as you won’t unwittingly provide credentials to a fraudulent site\n\n…But this same autofill feature can introduce a supply chain risk, if a bad actor manages to hijack the extension & pushes a malicious update…\n\n…And every browser extension makes your browser fingerprint more identifiable, thus reducing privacy…\n\n… and so on & so forth. There is no ‘better’ or ‘worse’. Dont address this tradeoff in isolation. Begin with a threat model for your situation, compare the pros/cons against each, select the one that better fits",
"title": "Is it better to use a browser extension for a password manager, or install a standalone program?"
}