Managing browser extensions across multiple users and systems is a common challenge in IT management. Browser extensions, while useful, can pose significant security risks if not monitored properly. They can introduce vulnerabilities, spy on user activities, or become entry points for malware.
This script offers a robust solution for IT professionals and Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to inventory installed browser extensions across popular browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Edge.
Background
As organizations increasingly rely on web-based applications, the role of browser extensions has grown. However, this also increases the need for oversight to ensure extensions are secure and compliant with organizational policies. This script addresses these needs by providing a comprehensive report on all installed browser extensions for major browsers, making it an essential tool for IT professionals and MSPs who need to maintain security and compliance.
The Script
#Requires -Version 5.1
<#
.SYNOPSIS
Reports on all installed browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox and Edge.
.DESCRIPTION
Reports on all installed browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox and Edge.
.EXAMPLE
(No Parameters)
A Google Chrome installation was detected. Searching Chrome for browser extensions...
A Microsoft Edge installation was detected. Searching Microsoft Edge for browser extensions...
A Firefox installation was detected. Searching Firefox for browser extensions...
Attempting to set Custom Field 'Multiline'.
WARNING: 10,000 Character Limit has been reached! Trimming output until the character limit is satisfied...
Successfully set Custom Field 'Multiline'!
Attempting to set Custom Field 'WYSIWYG'.
Successfully set Custom Field 'WYSIWYG'!
Browser extensions were detected.
Browser : Chrome
User : cheart
Name : askBelynda | Sustainable Shopping
Extension ID : pcmbjnfbjkeieekkahdfgchcbjfhhgdi
Description : Sustainable shopping made simple with askBelynda. Choose ethical products o(...)
Browser : Chrome
User : cheart
Name : Beni - Your secondhand shopping assistant
Extension ID : efdgbhncnligcbloejoaemnfhjihkccj
Description : The easiest way to shop secondhand. Beni finds the best resale alternative(...)
Browser : Chrome
User : cheart
Name : Bonjourr · Minimalist Startpage
Extension ID : dlnejlppicbjfcfcedcflplfjajinajd
Description : Improve your web browsing experience with Bonjourr, a beautiful, customizab(...)
Browser : Chrome
User : cheart
Name : Boxel 3D
Extension ID : mjjgmlmpeaikcaajghilhnioimmaibon
Description : Boxel 3D is the 3rd release of your favorite box jumping game made by the d(...)
...
PARAMETER: -MultilineCustomField "ReplaceMeWithNameOfAMultilineCustomField"
Specify the name of a multiline custom field to optionally store the search results in. Leave blank to not set a multiline field.
PARAMETER: -WysiwygCustomField "ReplaceMeWithAnyWYSIWYGCustomField"
Specify the name of a WYSIWYG custom field to optionally store the search results in. Leave blank to not set a WYSIWYG field.
.NOTES
Minimum OS Architecture Supported: Windows 10, Windows Server 2016
Release Notes: Initial Release
By using this script, you indicate your acceptance of the following legal terms as well as our Terms of Use at https://www.ninjaone.com/terms-of-use.
Ownership Rights: NinjaOne owns and will continue to own all right, title, and interest in and to the script (including the copyright). NinjaOne is giving you a limited license to use the script in accordance with these legal terms.
Use Limitation: You may only use the script for your legitimate personal or internal business purposes, and you may not share the script with another party.
Republication Prohibition: Under no circumstances are you permitted to re-publish the script in any script library or website belonging to or under the control of any other software provider.
Warranty Disclaimer: The script is provided “as is” and “as available”, without warranty of any kind. NinjaOne makes no promise or guarantee that the script will be free from defects or that it will meet your specific needs or expectations.
Assumption of Risk: Your use of the script is at your own risk. You acknowledge that there are certain inherent risks in using the script, and you understand and assume each of those risks.
Waiver and Release: You will not hold NinjaOne responsible for any adverse or unintended consequences resulting from your use of the script, and you waive any legal or equitable rights or remedies you may have against NinjaOne relating to your use of the script.
EULA: If you are a NinjaOne customer, your use of the script is subject to the End User License Agreement applicable to you (EULA).
#>
[CmdletBinding()]
param (
[Parameter()]
[String]$MultilineCustomField,
[Parameter()]
[String]$WysiwygCustomField
)
begin {
# Replace parameters with the dynamic script variables.
if ($env:multilineCustomFieldName -and $env:multilineCustomFieldName -notlike "null") { $MultilineCustomField = $env:multilineCustomFieldName }
if ($env:wysiwygCustomFieldName -and $env:wysiwygCustomFieldName -notlike "null") { $WysiwygCustomField = $env:wysiwygCustomFieldName }
# Check if $MultilineCustomField and $WysiwygCustomField are both not null and have the same value
if ($MultilineCustomField -and $WysiwygCustomField -and $MultilineCustomField -eq $WysiwygCustomField) {
Write-Host "[Error] Custom Fields of different types cannot have the same name."
Write-Host "https://ninjarmm.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360060920631-Custom-Fields-Configuration-Device-Role-Fields"
exit 1
}
# Function to get user registry hives based on the type of account
function Get-UserHives {
param (
[Parameter()]
[ValidateSet('AzureAD', 'DomainAndLocal', 'All')]
[String]$Type = "All",
[Parameter()]
[String[]]$ExcludedUsers,
[Parameter()]
[switch]$IncludeDefault
)
# Patterns for user SID depending on account type
$Patterns = switch ($Type) {
"AzureAD" { "S-1-12-1-(\d+-?){4}$" }
"DomainAndLocal" { "S-1-5-21-(\d+-?){4}$" }
"All" { "S-1-12-1-(\d+-?){4}$" ; "S-1-5-21-(\d+-?){4}$" }
}
# Fetch user profiles whose SIDs match the defined patterns and prepare objects with their details
$UserProfiles = Foreach ($Pattern in $Patterns) {
Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList\*" |
Where-Object { $_.PSChildName -match $Pattern } |
Select-Object @{Name = "SID"; Expression = { $_.PSChildName } },
@{Name = "UserName"; Expression = { "$($_.ProfileImagePath | Split-Path -Leaf)" } },
@{Name = "UserHive"; Expression = { "$($_.ProfileImagePath)\NTuser.dat" } },
@{Name = "Path"; Expression = { $_.ProfileImagePath } }
}
# Handle inclusion of the default user profile if requested
switch ($IncludeDefault) {
$True {
$DefaultProfile = "" | Select-Object UserName, SID, UserHive, Path
$DefaultProfile.UserName = "Default"
$DefaultProfile.SID = "DefaultProfile"
$DefaultProfile.Userhive = "$env:SystemDrive\Users\Default\NTUSER.DAT"
$DefaultProfile.Path = "C:\Users\Default"
$DefaultProfile | Where-Object { $ExcludedUsers -notcontains $_.UserName }
}
}
# Return user profiles, excluding any specified users
$UserProfiles | Where-Object { $ExcludedUsers -notcontains $_.UserName }
}
# Function to check if the current PowerShell session is running with elevated permissions
function Test-IsElevated {
$id = [System.Security.Principal.WindowsIdentity]::GetCurrent()
$p = New-Object System.Security.Principal.WindowsPrincipal($id)
$p.IsInRole([System.Security.Principal.WindowsBuiltInRole]::Administrator)
}
function Set-NinjaProperty {
[CmdletBinding()]
Param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $True)]
[String]$Name,
[Parameter()]
[String]$Type,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $True, ValueFromPipeline = $True)]
$Value,
[Parameter()]
[String]$DocumentName
)
$Characters = $Value | Out-String | Measure-Object -Character | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Characters
if ($Characters -ge 200000) {
throw [System.ArgumentOutOfRangeException]::New("Character limit exceeded; the value is greater than or equal to 200,000 characters.")
}
# If requested to set the field value for a Ninja document, we'll specify it here.
$DocumentationParams = @{}
if ($DocumentName) { $DocumentationParams["DocumentName"] = $DocumentName }
# This is a list of valid fields that can be set. If no type is specified, it is assumed that the input does not need to be changed.
$ValidFields = "Attachment", "Checkbox", "Date", "Date or Date Time", "Decimal", "Dropdown", "Email", "Integer", "IP Address", "MultiLine", "MultiSelect", "Phone", "Secure", "Text", "Time", "URL", "WYSIWYG"
if ($Type -and $ValidFields -notcontains $Type) { Write-Warning "$Type is an invalid type! Please check here for valid types: https://ninjarmm.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/16973443979789-Command-Line-Interface-CLI-Supported-Fields-and-Functionality" }
# The field below requires additional information to be set.
$NeedsOptions = "Dropdown"
if ($DocumentName) {
if ($NeedsOptions -contains $Type) {
# Redirect error output to the success stream to make it easier to handle errors if nothing is found or if something else goes wrong.
$NinjaPropertyOptions = Ninja-Property-Docs-Options -AttributeName $Name @DocumentationParams 2>&1
}
}
else {
if ($NeedsOptions -contains $Type) {
$NinjaPropertyOptions = Ninja-Property-Options -Name $Name 2>&1
}
}
# If an error is received with an exception property, the function will exit with that error information.
if ($NinjaPropertyOptions.Exception) { throw $NinjaPropertyOptions }
# The below types require values not typically given in order to be set. The below code will convert whatever we're given into a format ninjarmm-cli supports.
switch ($Type) {
"Checkbox" {
# Although it's highly likely we were given a value like "True" or a boolean datatype, it's better to be safe than sorry.
$NinjaValue = [System.Convert]::ToBoolean($Value)
}
"Date or Date Time" {
# Ninjarmm-cli expects the GUID of the option to be selected. Therefore, the given value will be matched with a GUID.
$Date = (Get-Date $Value).ToUniversalTime()
$TimeSpan = New-TimeSpan (Get-Date "1970-01-01 00:00:00") $Date
$NinjaValue = $TimeSpan.TotalSeconds
}
"Dropdown" {
# Ninjarmm-cli is expecting the guid of the option we're trying to select. So we'll match up the value we were given with a guid.
$Options = $NinjaPropertyOptions -replace '=', ',' | ConvertFrom-Csv -Header "GUID", "Name"
$Selection = $Options | Where-Object { $_.Name -eq $Value } | Select-Object -ExpandProperty GUID
if (-not $Selection) {
throw [System.ArgumentOutOfRangeException]::New("Value is not present in dropdown options.")
}
$NinjaValue = $Selection
}
default {
# All the other types shouldn't require additional work on the input.
$NinjaValue = $Value
}
}
# We'll need to set the field differently depending on if its a field in a Ninja Document or not.
if ($DocumentName) {
$CustomField = Ninja-Property-Docs-Set -AttributeName $Name -AttributeValue $NinjaValue @DocumentationParams 2>&1
}
else {
$CustomField = $NinjaValue | Ninja-Property-Set-Piped -Name $Name 2>&1
}
if ($CustomField.Exception) {
throw $CustomField
}
}
# Function to find installation keys based on the display name, optionally returning uninstall strings
function Find-InstallKey {
[CmdletBinding()]
param (
[Parameter(ValueFromPipeline = $True)]
[String]$DisplayName,
[Parameter()]
[Switch]$UninstallString,
[Parameter()]
[String]$UserBaseKey
)
process {
# Initialize an empty list to hold installation objects
$InstallList = New-Object System.Collections.Generic.List[Object]
# If no user base key is specified, search in the default system-wide uninstall paths
if (!$UserBaseKey) {
# Search for programs in 32-bit and 64-bit locations. Then add them to the list if they match the display name
$Result = Get-ChildItem -Path "HKLM:\Software\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*" | Get-ItemProperty | Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -like "*$DisplayName*" }
if ($Result) { $InstallList.Add($Result) }
$Result = Get-ChildItem -Path "HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*" | Get-ItemProperty | Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -like "*$DisplayName*" }
if ($Result) { $InstallList.Add($Result) }
}
else {
# If a user base key is specified, search in the user-specified 64-bit and 32-bit paths.
$Result = Get-ChildItem -Path "$UserBaseKey\Software\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*" | Get-ItemProperty | Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -like "*$DisplayName*" }
if ($Result) { $InstallList.Add($Result) }
$Result = Get-ChildItem -Path "$UserBaseKey\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*" | Get-ItemProperty | Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -like "*$DisplayName*" }
if ($Result) { $InstallList.Add($Result) }
}
# If the UninstallString switch is specified, return only the uninstall strings; otherwise, return the full installation objects.
if ($UninstallString) {
$InstallList | Select-Object -ExpandProperty UninstallString -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
}
else {
$InstallList
}
}
}
if (!$ExitCode) {
$ExitCode = 0
}
}
process {
# Check if the script is running with elevated permissions (administrator rights)
if (!(Test-IsElevated)) {
Write-Host -Object "[Error] Access Denied. Please run with Administrator privileges."
exit 1
}
# Search for Chrome installations on the system and enable chrome extension search if found.
Find-InstallKey -DisplayName "Chrome" | ForEach-Object {
$ChromeInstallations = $True
}
# Search for Firefox installations on the system and enable firefox extension search if found.
Find-InstallKey -DisplayName "Firefox" | ForEach-Object {
$FireFoxInstallations = $True
}
# Search for Edge installations on the system and flag if found and enable edge extension search if found.
Find-InstallKey -DisplayName "Edge" | ForEach-Object {
$EdgeInstallations = $True
}
# Retrieve all user profiles from the system
$UserProfiles = Get-UserHives -Type "All"
# Loop through each profile on the machine
Foreach ($UserProfile in $UserProfiles) {
# Load User ntuser.dat if it's not already loaded
If (($ProfileWasLoaded = Test-Path Registry::HKEY_USERS\$($UserProfile.SID)) -eq $false) {
Start-Process -FilePath "cmd.exe" -ArgumentList "/C reg.exe LOAD HKU\$($UserProfile.SID) `"$($UserProfile.UserHive)`"" -Wait -WindowStyle Hidden
}
# Repeat search for installations of browsers but in the user's registry context
Find-InstallKey -UserBaseKey "Registry::HKEY_USERS\$($UserProfile.SID)" -DisplayName "Chrome" | ForEach-Object {
$ChromeInstallations = $True
}
Find-InstallKey -UserBaseKey "Registry::HKEY_USERS\$($UserProfile.SID)" -DisplayName "Firefox" | ForEach-Object {
$FireFoxInstallations = $True
}
Find-InstallKey -UserBaseKey "Registry::HKEY_USERS\$($UserProfile.SID)" -DisplayName "Edge" | ForEach-Object {
$EdgeInstallations = $True
}
# Unload NTuser.dat
If ($ProfileWasLoaded -eq $false) {
[gc]::Collect()
Start-Sleep 1
Start-Process -FilePath "cmd.exe" -ArgumentList "/C reg.exe UNLOAD HKU\$($UserProfile.SID)" -Wait -WindowStyle Hidden | Out-Null
}
}
# Initialize a list to store details of detected browser extensions
$BrowserExtensions = New-Object System.Collections.Generic.List[object]
# If Chrome was found, search for Chrome extensions in each user's profile
if ($ChromeInstallations) {
Write-Host -Object "A Google Chrome installation was detected. Searching Chrome for browser extensions..."
$UserProfiles | ForEach-Object {
if (!(Test-Path -Path "$($_.Path)\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) {
return
}
if(Test-Path -Path "$($_.Path)\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Local State" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue){
$AllProfiles = Get-Content -Path "$($_.Path)\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Local State" | ConvertFrom-JSON
}
$PreferenceFiles = Get-ChildItem "$($_.Path)\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\*\Preferences" -Exclude "System Profile" | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Fullname
foreach ($PreferenceFile in $PreferenceFiles) {
$GooglePreferences = Get-Content -Path $PreferenceFile | ConvertFrom-Json
if($AllProfiles){
$ProfileLocation = $PreferenceFile | Get-Item | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Directory | Split-Path -Leaf
$ProfileName = $AllProfiles.profile.info_cache | Select-Object -ExpandProperty $ProfileLocation | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Name
}else{
$ProfileName = $GooglePreferences.profile.name
}
foreach ($Extension in $GooglePreferences.extensions.settings.PSObject.Properties) {
$BrowserExtensions.Add(
[PSCustomObject]@{
Browser = "Chrome"
User = $_.UserName
Profile = $ProfileName
Name = $Extension.Value.manifest.name
"Extension ID" = $Extension.name
Description = $Extension.Value.manifest.description
}
)
}
}
}
}
# If Edge was found, search for Edge extensions in each user's profile
if ($EdgeInstallations) {
Write-Host -Object "A Microsoft Edge installation was detected. Searching Microsoft Edge for browser extensions..."
$UserProfiles | ForEach-Object {
if (!(Test-Path -Path "$($_.Path)\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) {
return
}
if(Test-Path -Path "$($_.Path)\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Local State" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue){
$AllProfiles = Get-Content -Path "$($_.Path)\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Local State" | ConvertFrom-JSON
}
$PreferenceFiles = Get-ChildItem "$($_.Path)\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\*\Preferences" -Exclude "System Profile" | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Fullname
foreach ($PreferenceFile in $PreferenceFiles) {
$EdgePreferences = Get-Content -Path $PreferenceFile | ConvertFrom-Json
if($AllProfiles){
$ProfileLocation = $PreferenceFile | Get-Item | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Directory | Split-Path -Leaf
$ProfileName = $AllProfiles.profile.info_cache | Select-Object -ExpandProperty $ProfileLocation | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Name
}else{
$ProfileName = $EdgePreferences.profile.name
}
foreach ($Extension in $EdgePreferences.extensions.settings.PSObject.Properties) {
if ($Extension.Value.active_bit -like "False" ) { continue }
if (!$Extension.Value.manifest.name) { continue }
$BrowserExtensions.Add(
[PSCustomObject]@{
Browser = "Edge"
User = $_.UserName
Profile = $ProfileName
Name = $Extension.Value.manifest.name
"Extension ID" = $Extension.name
Description = $Extension.Value.manifest.description
}
)
}
}
}
}
# If Firefox was found, search for Firefox extensions in each user's profile
if ($FireFoxInstallations) {
Write-Host -Object "A Firefox installation was detected. Searching Firefox for browser extensions..."
$UserProfiles | ForEach-Object {
if (!(Test-Path -Path "$($_.Path)\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) {
return
}
$FirefoxProfileFolders = Get-ChildItem -Path "$($_.Path)\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles" -Directory | Where-Object { $_.Name -match "\.default-release$" } | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Fullname
foreach ( $FirefoxProfile in $FirefoxProfileFolders ) {
if (!(Test-Path -Path "$FirefoxProfile\extensions.json")) {
continue
}
$Extensions = Get-Content -Path "$FirefoxProfile\extensions.json" | ConvertFrom-Json
foreach ($Extension in $Extensions.addons) {
$BrowserExtensions.Add(
[PSCustomObject]@{
Browser = "Firefox"
User = $_.UserName
Profile = "N/A"
Name = $Extension.defaultlocale.name
"Extension ID" = $Extension.id
Description = $Extension.defaultlocale.description
}
)
}
}
}
}
# Check if there are any browser extensions to process
if ($BrowserExtensions.Count -gt 0) {
# Format the BrowserExtensions list to include a shortened description if the description is too long.
$BrowserExtensions = $BrowserExtensions | Select-Object Browser, User, Profile, Name, "Extension ID", @{
Name = "Description"
Expression = {
$Characters = $_.Description | Measure-Object -Character | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Characters
if ($Characters -gt 75) {
"$(($_.Description).SubString(0,75))(...)"
}
else {
$_.Description
}
}
}
}
# Check if extensions were found and if we were requested to set a multiline custom field
if ($BrowserExtensions.Count -gt 0 -and $MultilineCustomField) {
try {
Write-Host "Attempting to set Custom Field '$MultilineCustomField'."
$CustomFieldValue = New-Object System.Collections.Generic.List[string]
# Sort and format the list of extensions for output
$CustomFieldList = $BrowserExtensions | Sort-Object Browser, User, Profile, Name | Select-Object Browser, User, Profile, Name, "Extension ID", Description
$CustomFieldValue.Add(($CustomFieldList | Format-List | Out-String))
# Measure the total character count of the formatted string
$Characters = $CustomFieldValue | Out-String | Measure-Object -Character | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Characters
if ($Characters -ge 9500) {
Write-Warning "10,000 Character Limit has been reached! Trimming output until the character limit is satisfied..."
# If it doesn't comply with the limits we'll need to recreate it with some adjustments.
$i = 0
do {
# Recreate the custom field output starting with a warning that we truncated the output.
$CustomFieldValue = New-Object System.Collections.Generic.List[string]
$CustomFieldValue.Add("This info has been truncated to accommodate the 10,000 character limit.")
# Flip the array so that the last entry is on top.
[array]::Reverse($CustomFieldList)
# Remove the next item.
$CustomFieldList[$i] = $null
$i++
# We'll flip the array back to right side up.
[array]::Reverse($CustomFieldList)
# Add it back to the output.
$CustomFieldValue.Add(($CustomFieldList | Format-List | Out-String))
# Check that we now comply with the character limit. If not restart the do loop.
$Characters = $CustomFieldValue | Out-String | Measure-Object -Character | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Characters
}while ($Characters -ge 9500)
}
Set-NinjaProperty -Name $MultilineCustomField -Value $CustomFieldValue
Write-Host "Successfully set Custom Field '$MultilineCustomField'!"
}
catch {
Write-Host "[Error] $($_.Exception.Message)"
$ExitCode = 1
}
}
# Check if extensions were found and if we were requested to set a WYSIWYG custom field.
if ($BrowserExtensions.Count -gt 0 -and $WysiwygCustomField) {
try {
Write-Host "Attempting to set Custom Field '$WysiwygCustomField'."
# Prepare the custom field output.
$CustomFieldValue = New-Object System.Collections.Generic.List[string]
# Convert the matching events into an html report.
$htmlTable = $BrowserExtensions | Sort-Object Browser, User, Profile, Name | Select-Object Browser, User, Profile, Name, "Extension ID", Description | ConvertTo-Html -Fragment
# Add the newly created html into the custom field output.
$CustomFieldValue.Add($htmlTable)
# Check that the output complies with the hard character limits.
$Characters = $CustomFieldValue | Out-String | Measure-Object -Character | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Characters
if ($Characters -ge 199500) {
Write-Warning "200,000 Character Limit has been reached! Trimming output until the character limit is satisfied..."
# If it doesn't comply with the limits we'll need to recreate it with some adjustments.
$i = 0
do {
# Recreate the custom field output starting with a warning that we truncated the output.
$CustomFieldValue = New-Object System.Collections.Generic.List[string]
$CustomFieldValue.Add("<h1>This info has been truncated to accommodate the 200,000 character limit.</h1>")
# Flip the array so that the last entry is on top.
[array]::Reverse($htmlTable)
# If the next entry is a row we'll delete it.
if ($htmlTable[$i] -match '<tr><td>' -or $htmlTable[$i] -match '<tr class=') {
$htmlTable[$i] = $null
}
$i++
# We'll flip the array back to right side up.
[array]::Reverse($htmlTable)
# Add it back to the output.
$CustomFieldValue.Add($htmlTable)
# Check that we now comply with the character limit. If not restart the do loop.
$Characters = $CustomFieldValue | Out-String | Measure-Object -Character | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Characters
}while ($Characters -ge 199500)
}
# Set the custom field.
Set-NinjaProperty -Name $WysiwygCustomField -Value $CustomFieldValue
Write-Host "Successfully set Custom Field '$WysiwygCustomField'!"
}
catch {
Write-Host "[Error] $($_.Exception.Message)"
$ExitCode = 1
}
}
if ($BrowserExtensions.Count -gt 0) {
Write-Host "Browser extensions were detected."
$BrowserExtensions | Sort-Object Browser, User, Profile, Name | Format-List | Out-String | Write-Host
}
else {
Write-Host "No browser extensions were found!"
}
exit $ExitCode
}
end {
}
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Detailed Breakdown
This script is written in PowerShell and requires version 5.1 or higher. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how it works:
1. Initialization and Parameters:
- The script begins by checking for required parameters, $MultilineCustomField and $WysiwygCustomField, which can be set via environment variables or passed directly.
- It validates that these fields, if both provided, are not the same to avoid conflicts.
2. User Hive Retrieval:
- The Get-UserHives function identifies user profiles on the system, including AzureAD and Domain accounts.
- This function is crucial for ensuring the script scans all relevant user directories for browser data.
3. Permission Check:
- The Test-IsElevated function ensures the script is running with administrative privileges, necessary for accessing user-specific registry hives and directories.
4. Browser Detection:
- The script searches for installations of Chrome, Firefox, and Edge using the Find-InstallKey function, which scans both system-wide and user-specific registry keys.
5. Profile Loading:
- For each detected browser, the script iterates through user profiles, loads the necessary registry hives, and searches for browser extension data.
- This involves checking specific directories and configuration files where browsers store extension information.
6. Data Collection:
- It compiles a list of installed extensions, including details like browser name, user, profile, extension name, ID, and description.
7. Custom Field Updates:
- If extensions are found, the script attempts to set custom fields in a documentation system using Set-NinjaProperty. It handles potential character limits by trimming output as needed.
8. Output:
- The final output is a sorted list of browser extensions, which can be displayed or stored in custom fields for further analysis.
Potential Use Cases
Imagine an IT professional managing a mid-sized company’s IT infrastructure. They need to ensure all browser extensions installed on user machines are compliant with company policies. By running this script, they can quickly inventory all extensions across Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, identify any unauthorized or risky extensions, and take corrective action.
For example, if a new policy bans extensions that have not been vetted by the IT department, this script allows the IT admin to generate a comprehensive list of current extensions. The admin can then cross-reference this list with approved extensions, and remotely remove any that pose a risk.
Comparisons
Compared to manual methods of checking each browser and user profile individually, this script is significantly more efficient and thorough. Other approaches might involve using browser-specific tools or manual inspection, both of which are time-consuming and prone to human error. This script automates the process, ensuring consistency and saving valuable time.
FAQs
Q: Can this script be run remotely?
A: Yes, as long as you have the necessary administrative permissions and access to the remote machines.
Q: What happens if an extension description exceeds the character limit?
A: The script trims the description to fit within the character limit, ensuring the output remains manageable.
Q: Does the script work on all versions of Windows?
A: The script requires Windows 10 or Windows Server 2016 and later, as it depends on features available in these versions.
Q: Can the script be modified to support other browsers?
A: Yes, with appropriate modifications to the detection and data collection logic, support for additional browsers can be added.
Implications
The results from this script can have significant implications for IT security. By identifying all installed browser extensions, IT professionals can detect potential security risks and ensure compliance with organizational policies. This proactive approach helps in mitigating the risk of malware infections and data breaches associated with malicious or poorly maintained extensions.
Recommendations
When using this script, consider the following best practices:
- Run the script regularly as part of your IT maintenance schedule.
- Review the list of detected extensions and cross-check them against your approved list.
- Educate users about the risks associated with browser extensions and encourage them to install only approved extensions.
Final Thoughts
Browser extension management is a critical aspect of maintaining IT security. This script provides an automated, efficient way to inventory and monitor browser extensions across multiple users and browsers. By integrating this tool into your IT management processes, you can enhance your organization’s security posture and ensure compliance with policies.
NinjaOne offers a range of tools and features that complement this script, providing a comprehensive solution for IT management and security. With NinjaOne, you can automate routine tasks, monitor endpoints, and ensure your IT environment is secure and compliant.