Good News! Google Chrome will now do this for you on harmful downloads, extensions - save yourself from phishing

Google Chrome extensions and downloads can often prove to be malicious without the user’s knowledge. Google has been working on making Chrome safer for users from malicious downloads and extensions. It is rolling out new features that should make it easier for users to detect harmful Google Chrome downloads and extensions. The new features are a part of Enhanced Safe Browsing that Google launched last year.

Google will now inform you if a Chrome extension you’re installing is not safe. It will show a warning sign with the message, “This extension is not trusted by Enhanced Safe Browsing”. You will then have the option to either continue to install the extension or not. It will also display what the extension can do. For example, the extension will be able to read and change all of your data on the websites you visit. Only those browser extensions that follow the Chrome Web Store Developer Program Policies will be considered trusted.

With Enhanced Safe Browsing, Google Chrome will now offer more protection while downloading risky files. If you’re downloading a file that’s potentially harmful, Chrome will ask you to send it for further scanning to Google. The file will be uploaded to Google Safe Browsing for further analysis. If the file is indeed unsafe Chrome will warn you about it. This isn’t mandatory though as you can bypass the scanning. But it’s best if you don’t do that.

Google will start rolling out the new features with Chrome 91 to all users. These are part of Enhanced Enhanced Safe Browsing that is already available on Chrome. Google said that through Enhanced Safe Browsing “users are successfully phished 35% less than other users.” Enhanced Safe Browsing on Chrome can be enabled by going to Settings > Privacy and security > Security on PC, and Settings > Privacy and security > Safe Browsing on Android.