Safe Outreach
Verify your LinkedIn extension's safety.
About Safe Outreach
Safe Outreach is a research project and browser extension safety checker for LinkedIn users. It identifies if an extension is on LinkedIn's detection list and traces where it sends a LinkedIn session. This provides users with a verdict on an extension's safety, helping them understand potential risks to their LinkedIn account. The tool supports Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, and Opera browsers. It helps users evaluate the security posture of various LinkedIn automation and outreach tools.
Overview
Who is it for?
LinkedIn users concerned about the safety of browser extensions and potential account restrictions.
Features
- Checks if an extension is on LinkedIn's detection list, indicating if LinkedIn flags your account.
- Traces where an extension sends a LinkedIn session, revealing its data handling practices.
- Provides a verdict on an extension's safety, informing users of potential risks.
Use cases
- Privacy
- Security and Compliance
- Threat Detection
- Checking if a LinkedIn automation tool is detected by LinkedIn's internal systems.
- Understanding if a browser extension uploads your LinkedIn session to a third-party cloud.
- Evaluating the risk level of using a specific LinkedIn extension before installation.
- You can use it to check if a specific LinkedIn extension is detected by LinkedIn's systems before you click anything, as LinkedIn checks for these extensions on every page load. It also helps you understand the risk level associated with an extension by showing if it keeps your session local or uploads it to a third-party server.
Submitted by
Safe Outreach Team
Details
- Pricing
- Free
- Platforms
- Browser Chrome Extension
- Categories
- Developer Tools Security Cybersecurity Platform
- Built with
- Cloudflare PHP WordPress
- Launched
- Last updated
More details
Comparisons
Unlike vendor claims, Safe Outreach downloads and analyzes the actual code of extensions.
It differs from other tools by tracing the exact destination of the `li_at` session cookie.
It provides evidence from LinkedIn's own hardcoded detection list, not just general detection.
Pros
Verifies extension safety by analyzing actual code rather than relying on vendor statements.
Identifies if an extension is on LinkedIn's Active Extension Detection (AED) list.
Reveals if an extension uploads your LinkedIn session to a vendor's cloud, indicating higher risk.
Supports multiple Chromium-based browsers including Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, and Opera.
Provides detailed teardowns showing data flow maps for specific tools.
Limitations
It cannot clear an extension of all detection methods, as LinkedIn also catches extensions that inject into the page without being on a specific list.
What is Safe Outreach?
Safe Outreach is a research project that functions as a LinkedIn extension safety checker. It determines if a browser extension is on LinkedIn's internal detection list and tracks where the extension transmits your LinkedIn session data. This project was updated in November 2026, using a snapshot of LinkedIn's AED list from the same month.
What are its key features?
Its key features include checking extensions against LinkedIn's hardcoded detection list, which contained 4,934 IDs in November 2026. It also traces the destination of your LinkedIn session, distinguishing between local data processing and uploading to a vendor's cloud. Based on this analysis, it provides a safety verdict for each extension.
How does it compare to alternatives?
Safe Outreach differs from relying on vendor claims by directly downloading and de-minifying the published Chrome Web Store package of each tool. It reads the code line by line to verify its findings, rather than taking a vendor's word. It also focuses on tracing the `li_at` session cookie's value to determine data flow, providing a deeper level of analysis.
What integrations and ecosystem support does it offer?
Safe Outreach supports Chromium-based browsers including Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, and Opera. LinkedIn's detection scan fires in these browsers, gated by a `userAgent` check, making Safe Outreach relevant across these platforms.
What are its pros?
Safe Outreach provides transparency by auditing extensions through direct code analysis, not relying on vendor statements. It identifies if an extension is on LinkedIn's Active Extension Detection list, which can flag an account. It also reveals if an extension uses a 'cookie-bridge' architecture, uploading your LinkedIn session to a vendor's cloud, which represents a higher risk. This helps users make informed decisions about the tools they install.
Limitations
It cannot clear an extension of all detection methods, as LinkedIn also catches extensions that inject into the page without being on a specific list.
Alternatives
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FAQ about Safe Outreach
What is LinkedIn's Active Extension Detection (AED) list?
The AED list is a hardcoded roster of extension IDs embedded in LinkedIn's page code. LinkedIn checks for these installed extensions on every page load. Being on this list can flag your account before you interact with anything.
Does 'not on the list' mean an extension is safe?
No, not being on the AED list does not guarantee safety. LinkedIn has a second scanner that can detect any extension injecting into the page, regardless of the list. Some high-risk tools that upload sessions are not on the AED list.
What are the two main architectures for session handling?
Extensions either keep the session local, reading data in your browser and uploading only results, or they use a design where your LinkedIn session is copied to a vendor's servers, which then act as you from a different IP. The latter is a higher-risk design.
How does LinkedIn use detection signals?
LinkedIn uses a scorecard approach, accumulating points from signals like a known extension being installed, traces left in the page, a mismatched device fingerprint, and user behavior. Each signal adds points towards a potential account restriction.
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