Google has introduced an enhanced version of Safe Browsing for Chrome users, providing real-time URL protection to prevent visits to potentially malicious sites. The new protection mode will check sites against Google's server-side list of known bad sites in real-time, aiming to block 25% more phishing attempts. This change comes as the list of harmful websites is growing rapidly, with many phishing domains existing for less than 10 minutes, making them difficult to block. The new architecture involves real-time checks using obfuscated URL hashes and a privacy server to prevent access to users' IP addresses, ensuring browsing activity remains private.
Google is enhancing the default Safe Browsing mode in Chrome to provide real-time protection against malicious websites by incorporating real-time checks from the Enhanced protection mode. This update aims to block 25% more phishing attempts and is available on the latest desktop and iOS versions of Chrome, with an Android update coming later. The company emphasizes privacy, stating that Safe Browsing doesn't share visited site URLs with Google and uses hashing and encryption for user protection. Additionally, Chrome's Password Checkup feature on iOS now warns about weak and reused credentials in addition to compromised passwords.
Google has introduced real-time browsing protection to Chrome's Safe Browsing feature, claiming to enhance privacy by hiding visited URLs. The new Standard mode now offers real-time checking, utilizing an API to conceal URLs from Google and sending encrypted versions to a privacy server before cross-referencing with Safe Browsing's database. This process aims to maintain user privacy while improving phishing protection, with the feature currently available on Chrome for desktop and iOS, and set to roll out to Android later this month.
