Starting
in
Chrome
111
we
will
begin
to
turn
down
the
Chrome
Cleanup
Tool,
an
application
distributed
to
Chrome
users
on
Windows
to
help
find
and
remove
unwanted
software
(UwS).
Origin
story
The
Chrome
Cleanup
Tool
was
introduced
in
2015
to
help
users
recover
from
unexpected
settings
changes,
and
to
detect
and
remove
unwanted
software.
To
date,
it
has
performed
more
than
80
million
cleanups,
helping
to
pave
the
way
for
a
cleaner,
safer
web.
A
changing
landscape
In
recent
years,
several
factors
have
led
us
to
reevaluate
the
need
for
this
application
to
keep
Chrome
users
on
Windows
safe.
First,
the
user
perspective
–
Chrome
user
complaints
about
UwS
have
continued
to
fall
over
the
years,
averaging
out
to
around
3%
of
total
complaints
in
the
past
year.
Commensurate
with
this,
we
have
observed
a
steady
decline
in
UwS
findings
on
users’
machines.
For
example,
last
month
just
0.06%
of
Chrome
Cleanup
Tool
scans
run
by
users
detected
known
UwS.
Next,
several
positive
changes
in
the
platform
ecosystem
have
contributed
to
a
more
proactive
safety
stance
than
a
reactive
one.
For
example,
Google
Safe
Browsing
as
well
as
antivirus
software
both
block
file-based
UwS
more
effectively
now,
which
was
originally
the
goal
of
the
Chrome
Cleanup
Tool.
Where
file-based
UwS
migrated
over
to
extensions,
our
substantial
investments
in
the
Chrome
Web
Store
review
process
have
helped
catch
malicious
extensions
that
violate
the
Chrome
Web
Store’s
policies.
Finally,
we’ve
observed
changing
trends
in
the
malware
space
with
techniques
such
as
Cookie
Theft
on
the
rise
–
as
such,
we’ve
doubled
down
on
defenses
against
such
malware
via
a
variety
of
improvements
including
hardened
authentication
workflows
and
advanced
heuristics
for
blocking
phishing
and
social
engineering
emails,
malware
landing
pages,
and
downloads.
What
to
expect
Starting
in
Chrome
111,
users
will
no
longer
be
able
to
request
a
Chrome
Cleanup
Tool
scan
through
Safety
Check
or
leverage
the
“Reset
settings
and
cleanup”
option
offered
in
chrome://settings
on
Windows.
Chrome
will
also
remove
the
component
that
periodically
scans
Windows
machines
and
prompts
users
for
cleanup
should
it
find
anything
suspicious.
Even
without
the
Chrome
Cleanup
Tool,
users
are
automatically
protected
by
Safe
Browsing
in
Chrome.
Users
also
have
the
option
to
turn
on
Enhanced
protection
by
navigating
to
chrome://settings/security
–
this
mode
substantially
increases
protection
from
dangerous
websites
and
downloads
by
sharing
real-time
data
with
Safe
Browsing.
While
we’ll
miss
the
Chrome
Cleanup
Tool,
we
wanted
to
take
this
opportunity
to
acknowledge
its
role
in
combating
UwS
for
the
past
8
years.
We’ll
continue
to
monitor
user
feedback
and
trends
in
the
malware
ecosystem,
and
when
adversaries
adapt
their
techniques
again
–
which
they
will
– we’ll
be
at
the
ready.
As
always,
please
feel
free
to
send
us
feedback
or
find
us
on
Twitter
@googlechrome.
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