Google Chrome will now notify you of malicious Chrome extensions, downloads

Google Chrome, as part of its Enhanced Safe Browsing initiative, has introduced two new features that will further improve people’s security and privacy while surfing the internet. To recall, the Enhanced Safe Browsing option was introduced last year to provide users with added security.

The two features will provide people with protection from malicious Chrome extensions and download links that are available. Here’s how it will work.

Google Chrome new safety features introduced

Google Chrome will now start showing a pop-up whenever you are on the verge of downloading a Chrome extension from the Chrome Store. This will tell them if the extensions are safe and are a part of Google‘s list of the trusted ones.

It is revealed that any extension that follows the Chrome Web Store Developer Program Policies will be certified as a trusted Chrome extension. New ones take a few months to get the label. Currently, around 75 per cent of Chrome extensions comply with Google policies.

Google Chrome protection from malicious extensions

Google Chrome will also ensure that you don’t download risky media or files. Whenever you are doing so, the browser will check the data being downloaded with the help of Enhanced Safe Browsing. For this, it will look into details such as the digest of the contents and the source of the file.

If the file is deemed risky or slightly unsafe, Chrome will give a warning and ask you to send the file for deep scanning. Once you go ahead with it, it will further check the file on Google Safe Browsing using Google’s static and dynamic analysis classifiers in real-time. If the file is unsafe, you will be warned.

You can dismiss the warning and go ahead with the download but it’s best advised to pay heed to Google. As a matter of security, the uploaded files for the scanning will be deleted post the analysis is done.

The new features will be a part of Google Chrome 91, which will be available soon.