Reco Browser Guard

Enterprise browser extension for security posture monitoring.

Installation

This extension is distributed via MDM policy. See your IT administrator for deployment instructions.

Download the latest .crx package from the Releases page.

MDM Force-Install Policy

pbfgnafbbeaneebmmmppeiogjldjlgdf;https://github.com/RecoLabs/browser-guard/releases/download/v1.0.0/updates.xml

---

Publishing a New Version

Option A: Command Line

cd src/browser-guard

# 1. Build the extension
npm run build

# 2. Pack into .crx (reuse the .pem key to keep the extension ID stable)
"/Applications/Google Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google Chrome" \
  --pack-extension=.output/chrome-mv3 \
  --pack-extension-key=.output/chrome-mv3.pem

# 3. Create a new release and upload the .crx
gh release create v1.1.0 \
  .output/chrome-mv3.crx \
  --repo RecoLabs/browser-guard \
  --title "Browser Guard v1.1.0" \
  --notes "Description of changes"

# 4. Create updates.xml pointing to the new version
cat > /tmp/updates.xml << 'EOF'
<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?>
<gupdate xmlns='http://www.google.com/update2/response' protocol='2.0'>
  <app appid='pbfgnafbbeaneebmmmppeiogjldjlgdf'>
    <updatecheck codebase='https://github.com/RecoLabs/browser-guard/releases/download/v1.1.0/chrome-mv3.crx'
                 version='1.1.0' />
  </app>
</gupdate>
EOF

# 5. Attach updates.xml to the new release
gh release upload v1.1.0 /tmp/updates.xml --repo RecoLabs/browser-guard

# 6. Update the previous release's updates.xml so existing installs auto-update
gh release upload v1.0.0 /tmp/updates.xml --repo RecoLabs/browser-guard --clobber

Option B: GitHub UI (Manual)

1. Build and pack the extension locally (steps 1–2 above are still required)

2. Go to https://github.com/RecoLabs/browser-guard/releases

3. Click "Draft a new release"

4. Create a new tag — type the version (e.g., v1.1.0) in the "Choose a tag" dropdown and select "Create new tag on publish"

5. Fill in the release details:

   • Title: Browser Guard v1.1.0
   • Description: what changed in this version

6. Attach files — drag and drop (or click "Attach binaries"):

   • chrome-mv3.crx (from .output/chrome-mv3.crx)
   • updates.xml (see template below — update the version and codebase URL)

7. Click "Publish release"

8. Update the previous release's updates.xml to point to the new version:

   • Go to the previous release (e.g., v1.0.0)
   • Delete the old updates.xml asset (click the ✕ next to it)
   • Upload the new updates.xml (same file as step 6)

updates.xml Template

Replace VERSION and TAG with the new version:

<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?>
<gupdate xmlns='http://www.google.com/update2/response' protocol='2.0'>
  <app appid='pbfgnafbbeaneebmmmppeiogjldjlgdf'>
    <updatecheck codebase='https://github.com/RecoLabs/browser-guard/releases/download/TAG/chrome-mv3.crx'
                 version='VERSION' />
  </app>
</gupdate>

---

How Auto-Update Works

Chrome periodically polls the updates.xml URL from the MDM policy. When it finds a version number higher than what's installed, it downloads and installs the new .crx automatically. No MDM policy change is needed — existing installs self-update.

Important

• Keep the .pem key safe — it determines the extension ID. If lost, the ID changes and all MDM policies break.
• Extension ID: pbfgnafbbeaneebmmmppeiogjldjlgdf
• The version in updates.xml must match the version in the extension's manifest.json.