Today, Google announced some new security features that it"s bringing to its Chrome browser. It adds up to some basic anti-malware protection that many users can benefit from.
The first is called hijacked settings detection. We"ve all had that one friend that keeps installing free software that adds extensions to Chrome, and then wonders why they have 500 toolbars and their default search looks exactly like Google but redirects to totallynotgoogle.com.
Now, Chrome will detect when a new extension is changing your browser settings, such as the default search engine, and will give you the option to restore it.
Chrome Cleanup has been redesigned with a simpler interface. This is for when a user downloads software and doesn"t realize that it"s bundled with other software, which may end up being malicious. Indeed, we all have that friend too, if it"s not the same one(s).
Google also says that the engine behind Chrome Cleanup is more powerful. The company worked with ESET to combine its detection engine with Chrome"s sandboxing.
“Using the internet should always be a smooth and safe experience for everyone,” said Juraj Malcho, Chief Technology Officer at ESET. “For three decades, ESET has developed a number of security solutions that allow users to safely enjoy their technology and to mitigate a variety of cyber threats. Chrome Cleanup addresses unwanted software that can negatively influence a users’ experience on the internet.”
Google says that it"s rolling these features out to Chrome users on Windows now, and will help tens of millions of users to a cleaner, safer web.