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Browser syncing is a life-changing feature, but it isn’t without risks. Here are some of the security issues you should be aware of when you use browser syncing.
1Your Data Will Sync With Stolen Devices and Hacked Sessions
The biggest issue with browser syncing is also its primary feature: it shares your tabs, bookmarks, browsing history, passwords, and even saved payment information with anyone who has access to your browser account.
If a hacker accesses your account, you’ll lose a lot more than just your email. Accessing your passwords generally only requires entering your browser account’s password, and a hacker might use your payment information if they somehow guess or acquire your card’s CVV.
Unauthorized logins are usually detected and prevented, but things like session cookie hijacking can allow hackers to bypass these barriers. If you want to use browser syncing, you should avoid saving anything you don’t want to share in your browser.
2Browser Syncing Makes Your Activity Less Private
Another issue with browser syncing is that it makes your browsing activity less private. When you don’t sync your browser history and other information, it’s generally stored as local cache files. Records of your web activity may exist with your ISP and elsewhere, but they aren’t extensive.
Browser syncing works because it takes that locally stored information, puts it in the cloud, and shares it between your devices. As a result, that information isn’t solely at risk if a hacker accesses your device — they may also access it where it is remotely stored.
Some browsers mitigate this issue by encrypting your data locally before it’s stored in the cloud. Firefox does this by default for all browser syncing users, while Chrome allows you toenable this feature by setting a passphrase.
3Professional and Personal Boundaries Are Blurred by Syncing
While the blurring of professional and personal boundaries isn’t quite a security issue, it can pose serious risks to your professional reputation. Browser syncing can add unwanted bookmarks, history, and search suggestions to your work device without your knowledge.
Before you sync your personal devices with your work devices, it’s worth considering what data will sync — and whether you want that data to sync at all. You can choose to sync only passwords in some browsers, which may be a comfortable middle ground.
Otherwise, you should consider turning off syncing on your work devices orconnecting to a separate professional browser account.
Last but not least, one of the worst risks of browser syncing is that it can spread viruses across your devices by syncing malicious extensions. These extensions are common enough that the Chrome Web Store has to regularly purge them.
If you accidentally download a malicious browser extension onto a device that’s synced with your work devices, the extension will install on all of your work devices. It probably won’t be worse than adware, but serious extension-based hacks have happened before.
You canavoid most malicious browser extensionsby choosing them carefully. Popular, aged extensions are better than barely-reviewed new ones, and extensions from official stores are generally safer than extensions that require sideloading.
Overall, there’s nothing inherently wrong with browser syncing. It offers enough convenience to make the risks worthwhile. If you choose to use browser syncing, however, you should consider the points above and take steps to make your use of the feature less risky.
