With so many bad actors out there, staying safe on the internet has become its own struggle. For a while, Google has used its Safe Browsing features to help make Chrome a safer browser for users. Now, though, it’s taking that protection one step further.
Google shared the news that it would be bringing real-time protection to Safe Browsing today. According to Google, over five billion devices worldwide already rely on Safe Browsing to protect their online activity. The company says that previously, the list of potentially dangerous sites or files it checks for was updated every 30 to 60 minutes. However, Google says that most malicious sites only exist for 10 minutes or less.
To combat this, Google has upgraded how quickly the list of potentially dangerous files and sites updates when using the standard settings in Safe Browsing. This real-time protection is made possible thanks to a Google-side server that contains a constantly updating list of potentially dangerous sites and files. Previously, Safe Browsing used a list stored on your device.
Google hopes to block 25 percent more phishing attempts now that it is using real-time protection for URLs and files in Safe Browsing. The feature is also set to roll out to Android later this month. If you’re worried about Google seeing what sites you’re visiting, the tech giant says that it will utilize encryption and other privacy-enhancing techniques to ensure that nobody, including Google itself, can see what websites you are visiting. The change will require some additional resources for your browser, but Google promises it should remain “smooth and speedy.”
Alongside the new real-time protection option, Google is also bringing a new feature to its password manager. You’ll now be able to complete a “password checkup” in Google’s password manager. This will tell you if you’re reusing passwords or if the password is too weak to protect your account. It will also warn you about compromised passwords that you should change right away. It will check for password issues often, but Google will also give you the option to perform a manual check if you want to complete a checkup on your own.
Both of these features are solid additions to Google’s online tools. Considering how important cybersecurity has become, using a browser with functionality like this can provide some additional protection you might not have otherwise.
