Google has added a new feature to Chrome’s Enhanced Safe Browsing section, where it will now warn users about any untrusted extensions they’re installing. These could be coming from developers who aren’t following Google’s Developer policies or new. Also, users will be warned about any suspicious files they’re downloading, and let them review by Google before proceeding.
Chrome’s New Safe Browsing Features
To date, Google has invested in the Chrome browser a lot. Apart from having extensive features for seamless browsing, Chrome is being developed regularly to provide a safer browsing experience. In this pursuit, Google announced Safe Browsing Mode in 2007, and an improved version of it called Enhanced Safe Browsing Mode last year.
Under the new Enhanced Safe Browsing Mode, Chrome will take all the measures like notifying users to set strong passwords, informing them about any compromises, blocking unsafe websites, etc. A new feature is being added to the very same section, with the release of the Chrome v91 update.
This is to warn users about installing untrusted browser extensions in Chrome. Here, Google considers extensions as untrusted if its developers aren’t satisfying the Chrome Web Store Developer Program Policies. And users installing any of such extensions will be warned and shown the data collected by the extensions.
Sometimes, new developers satisfying the clauses may also be flagged since they haven’t earned any reputation. As of now, 75% of the extensions in Chrome Web Store are marked as trusted, with the rest being analyzed. Apart from this, Chrome will also warn users about any suspicious files being download.
They will be presented with a warning of consequences and will be given an option to scan it. And when users choose to scan the file, it will be uploaded to Google Safe Browsing for static and dynamic analysis in real-time and delete after a short time. If deemed safe, users can continue to download.
