20 Firefox Add-ons for Hackers and Power Users
April 27, 2009 at 06:04:55 AM, by Blair Mathis
Mozilla Firefox is, hands down, the most versatile web browser. Why? Because there are myriad add-ons available that let you customize its behavior.
If you're a hacker, it's probably safe to assume that you are using Firefox; after all, it is stable, fast, and highly supported. It doesn't have the issues of Internet Explorer or the lower level of support like Opera.
One of Firefox's best features is the large number of add-ons that can be utilized. These add-ons allow you to add functionality to your browser that is not available, and can make your common tasks streamlined, your browsing easier, and your overall Internet experience a pleasant one.
As with all users, there are some add-ons hackers will find useful--not ones that will gain you magical access to any computer you wish, but ones that will make life a little easier nonetheless. Listed below are 20 Firefox add-ons for hackers.
1. Interclue
Interclue makes your web surfing faster and more efficient by displaying a preview of any link you hover over before you click on it. This is best used for Google or similar search engines where you're presented with a list of links. Simply hover the link to see a snapshot image of what waits on the other side.
2. FoxyProxy
The odds are, you have at least one private proxy which you use for things you'd rather remain private. Using the proxy frequently demands a good proxy addon that allows you to organize your IPs, toggle through them, and then activate/deactivate them whenever needed. FoxyProxy allows you to do just that by placing a button on the right side of the task manager, where you can choose different options, change settings, and browse IPs.
3. Tor Button
There are times when a private proxy is needed, and times when you need to be completely untraceable. For the latter purpose, Tor is used. To easily toggle between Tor and normal browsing, add the Tor button to Firefox. It is placed in the status bar on the right side, next to the FoxyProxy button if you have that particular addon.
4. Ghostery
Ghostery is a web bug tracker that reveals the websites/adds that are monitoring your activity or tracking your actions.
5. Mouseless Browsing
This addon is self-explanatory. If you're the type who enjoys kicking it back in the recliner and using a wireless keyboard, then using mouseless browsing is essential--it removes the need for pausing to use a mouse, and most importantly, it allows you to perform tasks faster, which can be invaluable under certain circumstances.
6. Status Bar Calculator
Yes, if you're a hacker, you should be able to do binary conversions in your mind (not to mention, basic math, which this calculator can also be used for). In the event that you cannot, or you simply don't want to, this calculator rests neatly in the status bar and can be used easily from the keyboard with the mouseless browsing addon above.
7. Better Privacy
Better Privacy is for those uber-cookies that you just can't seem to get rid of. It can detect LSOs and DOM storage objects and free you from the annoying tracking that probably slows your system down.
8. DownThemAll!
Individually downloading four hundred PDF and text files is not fun, especially when you have better things to do in that time span. DownThemAll is a very popular Firefox addon that detects everything available to download and does so, saving them in a file for your later perusal.
9. AutoPager
This extension is exceptionally valuable for anyone who likes to have easy tasks and minimal mouse requirements. AutoPager will detect when you come to the end of a page and automatically extend it to the next page in the list. This is especially useful when scrolling through search engine results.
10. Babel Fish Translator
Everyone knows about Babel Fish by now. This addon allows you to easily translate a webpage from one language to another without having to open a new web tab.
11. Check4Change
This awesome add-on allows you to monitor websites for changes in intervals ranging from 1 minute to 15. This is useful for those times you need to monitor a website for changes but don't want to sit at the computer refreshing the webpage for hours. When a change is detected, it will alert you and then continue monitoring.
12. Quick Locale Switcher
This extension is useful for bilingual users who frequently partake of multiple-language computer sessions. Supporting many languages, you can use the Firefox quick locale switcher to easily switch your browser between different languages for streamlined work.
13. Show Location
Use the Show Location addon to easily view a webpage's host country and IP address in the status bar. In addition to displaying that basic information, you can right-click on the info for a small menu that allows you to, among other things, pull up a Google map of that location.
14. ArchView
In the spirit of streamlined work, this extension allows you to open and view archive files in the following format: ZIP, RAR, and ISO. The best part of this extension is the ability to open an archive and view individual files without having to download the actual file, which allows you to spot trojans/worms/crapware before it makes its way into your system.
15. Hyperwords
Depending on how involved your work is, you might come across foreign words, or words that you don't know the meaning of. Hyperwords is the solution, allowing the user to highlight a single word or a full page of text and then perform specific tasks, including instant translation and dictionary look-up.
16. PopupMaster
Popups are not only irritating, but can also cause an your system to freeze or your browser to crash, all the while playing irritation jingles or displaying images you would rather not see. The best solution is an excellent popup browser that will keep the annoying ads under wraps--Popup master is that extension.
17. XSites
This useful addon displays all the hosts involved in the loading of a webpage, and allows the user to detect any cross-website request and detect/prepare for cross-site attacks. The addon is not intrusive, and displays the info on an opaque widget-like object that can be easily closed/opened.
18. SQL Inject Me
"SQL Injection vulnerabilities can cause a lot of damage to a web application. A malicious user can possibly view records, delete records, drop tables or gain access to your server. SQL Inject-Me is Firefox Extension used to test for SQL Injection vulnerabilities."
The SQL Inject Me addon works by submitting HTML forms while simulating an SQL Injection attack and then reports to you it's findings, allowing you to determine whether or not your forms are ready to be used or able to be exploited.
19. Passive Recon
How cool of a name is PassiveRecon? It may sound like something out of a cheesy espionage movie, but is actually a quite useful Firefox extension that allows users to check out a little background info about any website they are on.
To quote the addons page: "PassiveRecon provides information security professionals with the ability to perform "packetless" discovery of target resources utilizing publicly available information."
20. Yoono
Sure, this is a social networking add-on, and it might seem like something the average hacker might not find use for on his or her web browser--that assumption would be wrong. This excellent addon allows you to instantly access all forms of social communication--Twitter, AIM, Facebook, etc--quickly in a nicely organized side panel. With this Firefox extension, you can easily send a message to a friend or coworker, or see who is online and what they are up to.
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Comments
corn3lius at 09:58, March 24, 2010
What about Ubiquity? the ability to write your own scripts and execute on the page like translate, get maps or weather and fire them to your email. This one extension will do what 10 of your other add-ons will do. list FAIL