According to Google, a new feature is being introduced in Chrome that will provide enhanced security alerts when downloading potentially dangerous files.
“We have upgraded our prior cautionary messages with more elaborate ones to effectively convey the nature of the risk and aid users in making better-informed choices,” a statement by members of the Chrome Security team – Jasika Bawa, Lily Chen, and Daniel Rubery – mentioned.
As part of this initiative, the tech giant is launching a dual-level download alarm system built on evaluations furnished by Google Safe Browsing: Questionable files and Hazardous files.
Each classification is accompanied by its unique set of symbols, hues, and texts to differentiate them and guide users in making well-informed decisions.
Additionally, Google will be implementing what is called automatic thorough inspections for users who have selected the Advanced Filtering feature of Safe Browsing within Chrome, eliminating the need for recurring prompts to forward files to Safe Browsing for an in-depth analysis before accessing them.
In scenarios where such files are enclosed in password-guarded compressed files, users now possess the ability to “type in the file’s passcode and transfer it along with the file to Safe Browsing for potential scanning.”
Google highlighted that the files and their corresponding passcodes are permanently deleted shortly after the scan, and the collected data is exclusively employed for improving download defenses.
“In Basic Filtering mode, acquiring a doubtful encrypted collection will trigger a prompt to input the file’s passkey, but in this instance, both the file and the passkey remain on the local machine, with solely the metadata of the archive’s contents assessed by Safe Browsing,” it elucidated.
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