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| Google Chrome improves security for safe browsing |
In order to be able to more easily identify suspicious downloads and extensions, Google is strengthening the expanded Safe Browsing mode protection in the Google Chrome browser.
The company introduced an improved Safe Browsing mode in the browser in 2020 to add an extra layer of security and provide better alerts about phishing sites.
The company is now adding new features focusing on add-ons and downloads.
If you have activated Enhanced Safe Browsing and are ready to install extensions from the Google Chrome Web Store that are not on the trustworthiness list, you will be notified in a popup.
About 75% of add-ons are currently considered reliable. Developers must follow the rules of the Google Chrome Web Store Developer Program in order for the extension to be considered reliable.
Even new developers have to stick to the rules for at least a few months before they are considered reliable.
If a dialog appears telling you to proceed with caution, this does not necessarily mean that the extension you are installing is not safe. But its developer may have recently gone through the store or recently committed a simple policy violation.
Enhanced Protection for Google Chrome:
In addition, the enhanced Safe Browsing feature improves protection against malicious downloads.
When you download a file, Chrome first uses Google's Safe Browsing check to determine if it's potentially suspicious.
If Safe Browsing considers a file to be risky but clearly unsafe, a warning will be displayed when Enhanced Safe Browsing is enabled.
The warning asks if you want to review the file for a more detailed analysis.
Then Google Chrome browser can download the file. Once you check it and Safe Browsing finds it unsafe, another warning will appear.
You can still bypass the warning and open the file. But you do it at your own risk. All files uploaded to Safe Browsing are deleted immediately after scanning.
In addition to the existing metadata checks that Google Chrome performs for downloads, there are also new scanning options.
Google said: Version 91 of the Google Chrome browser that was released late last month will introduce these features.