Google has announced that its Safe Browsing protection in Chrome will now be real-time. This means that Chrome will be able to warn users about dangerous websites and downloads even if they have never been seen before.
Safe Browsing works by using a database of known malicious websites and downloads. When a user visits a website or downloads a file, Chrome checks the database to see if it is known to be dangerous. If it is, Chrome will warn the user and prevent them from visiting the website or downloading the file.
The new real-time protection will allow Chrome to warn users about dangerous websites and downloads even if they are not in the database. This is done by using machine learning to identify malicious websites and downloads.
Google says that the new real-time protection will be available in Chrome 89, which is scheduled to be released in March 2024.
How Real-Time Safe Browsing Works
Google’s real-time Safe Browsing protection uses a combination of machine learning and human analysis to identify malicious websites and downloads.
The machine learning component uses a variety of signals to identify malicious websites and downloads. These signals include the website’s content, the website’s domain name, and the website’s IP address.
The human analysis component is used to review the results of the machine learning component and to identify any malicious websites or downloads that the machine learning component missed.
Benefits of Real-Time Safe Browsing
The real-time Safe Browsing protection provides a number of benefits, including:
- Increased protection against malicious websites and downloads
- Protection against new and emerging threats
- Reduced risk of malware infections
- Improved user experience
How to Enable Real-Time Safe Browsing
The real-time Safe Browsing protection is enabled by default in Chrome 89 and later. To check if real-time protection is enabled, follow these steps:
- Open Chrome.
- Click the three dots in the top right corner of the window.
- Select Settings.
- Scroll down and click Privacy and security.
- Click Safe Browsing.
- Make sure that the “Enhanced protection” option is selected.
Conclusion
Google’s real-time Safe Browsing protection is a significant improvement over the previous protection. It provides increased protection against malicious websites and downloads, protection against new and emerging threats, and a reduced risk of malware infections. I highly recommend enabling real-time protection in Chrome to protect yourself from online threats.