Google has updated its Chrome browser to include real-time URL protection as part of its Safe Browsing feature, enhancing user protection against malicious websites.
Real-Time URL Protection Upgrade
This newly announced security feature is an upgraded version of Chrome's longstanding Safe Browsing feature. Safe Browsing has traditionally added URLs that might not be safe to a list stored locally on your device. When visiting a website, Google checks the URL against this list and issues a warning if necessary. However, Google's locally stored database is updated every 30 to 60 minutes, missing out on rapidly emerging malicious sites that can appear in less than 10 minutes. With the new update, websites will be checked in real-time against a list of known bad sites maintained on Google's servers. Google expects this change to increase the blocking of phishing attempts by 25%.
To protect user privacy, Google collaborates with Fastly to manage an Oblivious HTTP privacy server between Chrome and Safe Browsing. This ensures that Safe Browsing does not see the user's IP address, and the checks are mixed with those sent by other Chrome users.
Both Standard and Enhanced modes now offer real-time checking capabilities. However, Google claims that the Enhanced version will continue to provide more protection due to additional features like AI, deep file scans, and extra protection against malicious Chrome extensions designed to block attacks.
Chrome users can also opt for the Advanced Protection mode of Safe Browsing, which employs AI to block attacks and offers protection against malicious Chrome extensions. Google has also recently updated the password checkup feature on iOS devices, alerting users to compromised passwords and displaying weak or reused passwords.
The new real-time checking feature for Standard mode is currently available on Chrome for desktop and iOS, with availability on Android devices expected by the end of the month.