HackBrowserData
Command-line tool that extracts and decrypts saved data from Chromium, Firefox and Safari browsers.
- Stars
- 14.7k
- Forks
- 1.8k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- Go
- Last update
- 4 days ago
- Type
- CLI
What it is
HackBrowserData is a command-line tool that reads a browser's profile files and exports data such as passwords, history, cookies, bookmarks, credit cards and download history, decrypting them where needed. The README describes it as aimed at security research, and it covers Chromium-based browsers and Firefox on Windows, macOS and Linux, plus Safari on macOS. It can also export keys on one machine and decrypt a copy of the data on another.
- Export saved passwords and cookies from a Chrome profile to JSON or CSV with the dump command
- List detected browsers and profiles on a machine with the list command
- Pack profile files with archive and decrypt them on another host using dumpkeys and restore
- Export only selected categories, such as history or bookmarks, using the --category flag
Great for
- Security researchers studying how browsers store local data
- Penetration testers working on authorized engagements
- Developers testing how their own browser profile data is protected
- Forensic analysts reviewing browser profiles from machines they are permitted to examine
Not ideal for
- Anyone wanting to recover their own data through a normal backup or export flow, since the tool is positioned for security research (the README disclaimer places legal responsibility on the user)
- Users without authorization to access the target machine or its browser data, because the tool decrypts stored credentials
- Non-technical users who need a graphical interface, since it is a command-line tool
How to get it
- 1
Download the app
You'll need: Go 1.20+ (only if building from source)
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/moonD4rk/HackBrowserDataChange into the project directory
cd HackBrowserDataBuild the binary from source
go build ./cmd/hack-browser-data/ - 2
Run it
- Download the release archive for your system from the GitHub releases page and extract it, or build from source
- Run hack-browser-data -h to see available commands and flags
- Run hack-browser-data list to see detected browsers and profiles
- Run hack-browser-data to dump all categories to the default results directory
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Use --browser and --category to limit output to the browsers and data types you need
- Use --format csv or cookie-editor when you want output for other tools instead of the default JSON
- Use --profile-path with a path from chrome://version when the default profile location is not found
- Use the archive, dumpkeys and restore commands to decrypt data from one OS on another host, as described in the README's cross-host section
Downloads
Strengths
- Supports many Chromium-based browsers plus Firefox and Safari across Windows, macOS and Linux
- Offers cross-host decryption workflow documented in the README
- Released under the MIT license with prebuilt binaries for several platforms
Trade-offs
- Some features need extra setup: Windows cookie decryption for Chromium 127+ requires building with a Zig-based payload
- macOS password decryption may fail on macOS 26.4 or later, and some browsers need the current user password
- Security tools like this can be flagged as malware by antivirus software, as the README itself notes
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HackBrowserData (this) | 14.7k | CLI | intermediate | 4 days ago | Security researchers studying how browsers store local data |
| wails | 36.9k | Framework | intermediate | 4 days ago | Go programmers who want a desktop app with a web-style interface |
| PowerShell | 56k | CLI | beginner | 4 days ago | Developers who script or automate tasks across Windows, Linux, and macOS |
| nativefier | 35.2k | CLI | beginner | 3.1 years ago | People who want a site like WhatsApp Web or Gmail in its own window |
| chezmoi | 22.1k | Dev tool | intermediate | 4 days ago | People who use more than one computer and want their settings to match |
| marktext | 63.5k | App | beginner | 4 days ago | People who write notes or articles in Markdown and want a clean, minimal editor |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.