Chrome has always had the feature to block dangerous websites, but now it’s becoming even more adept at it. How does Chrome identify and block dangerous websites, you ask? Well, it relies on Google’s web crawling activities, but we’re not talking about real-time scanning here. Chrome uses a list of potentially harmful websites derived from Google’s scans, which it updates every 30 to 60 minutes. But what if a dangerous website manages to slip through the cracks during this time interval? Chrome is addressing this with its new feature.
Google Chrome introduces a new measure to block dangerous websites
Google performs real-time scans for potentially dangerous sites on the server side. The list generated here is then added to Chrome’s list of dangerous websites every 30 to 60 minutes. However, Google revealed in a recent blog post that many dangerous sites are only active for about 10 minutes. This means that Chrome’s current scanning method leaves users vulnerable.
Since the list of dangerous sites is updated every 30 to 60 minutes, viruses could infiltrate your system before Chrome even notices them. When you try to access such a site, Chrome displays a warning indicating that the site is not secure and blocks it. However, if the site is detected and blocked before it’s added to the list, you won’t benefit from this protection.
To address this issue, Google is changing the way Chrome scans for dangerous websites. Now, Google will immediately add the list of potentially harmful websites that arise in real-time on the server side to Chrome. This way, Chrome prevents dangerous websites that emerge and disappear quickly from causing harm.
Google aims to reduce phishing attempts by 25% with this new feature in Chrome’s Safe Browsing Standard Protection mode. The company also assures users that their privacy will not be compromised by these server-side interventions. Google emphasizes that it uses encryption techniques to enhance privacy, as stated in its blog post.
The Secure Browsing Standard Protection mode with this feature is now available for desktop and iOS Chrome users. However, Android Chrome users will have to wait until the end of the month for this new protection feature. Do you think Chrome’s new feature to block dangerous sites will be effective? We’d love to hear your thoughts.
