Google is carrying out new safety features for Chrome which are intended to make it simpler to spot questionable downloads and extensions. They expand upon the browser’s Enhanced Safe Browsing feature, which launched a year ago to offer better warnings against phishing sites.
With regards to Chrome extensions, the browser will presently show a warning if what you’re installing isn’t considered “trusted.” In order to be trusted, extensions need to come from a designer that has followed Google’s Developer Program Policies and has been around for “at least a few months.” That implies brand-new developers will not immediately be considered trusted by Google.
When attempting to download an extension that is not trusted, Chrome will show a pop-up warning that you ought to “proceed with caution.” However, there’s as yet the option to “continue to install” the extension. Google says almost 3/4 of the extensions on Chrome’s store will be viewed as trusted under its rules. Not being “trusted” doesn’t mean Google thinks an extension is risky, however that its developer may be more up to date to the store or may have recently committed a minor policy violation.
Chrome is likewise getting a new scanning feature for suspicious-looking downloads. Later on, any downloads that appear “risky, but not clearly unsafe” will offer an option to upload them to Google’s servers for a more thorough scan. This process can be bypassed on the off chance that you like, however it offers an additional layer of protection when downloading files from the web. The new scanning option is offered notwithstanding the current metadata checks that Chrome as of now performs on downloads.
Google says the new features are carrying out progressively for Chrome 91, the version of the browser that released late last month.
