There is some good news for Mac users that prefer to use Google Chrome for browsing the Internet instead of Safari. Google's "Safe Browsing" will increase its malware protection of computers running MacOS.
Increased Malware Protection For Google Chrome On MacOS
According to Hot Hardware, Google is now focusing more on unwanted software and MacOS-specific malware. Among the most common abuses are manipulation of Chrome user settings and unwanted ad injection. When they download questionable files or navigate to dangerous websites, users of MacOS will start to see more warnings.
Through the recently released Chrome Settings API for Mac, developers are able to make sure their users maintain control of Chrome settings. In the extension manifest, developers can modify startup pages, home pages, and search providers. Various properties can be overridden and certain values can be customized in this program.
The only way of making changes to Chrome settings on MacOS will be the Settings Overrides API. Changes to Chrome settings will be allowed only by extensions hosted in the Chrome Web Store. Starting on Mar. 31, 2017, users will receive warnings about any software that tries to modify their Chrome settings without using the API.
Google's Safe Browsing Service
Google has launched Safe Browsing back in 2007, in order to protect users from phishing attacks. Since then, the software has grown to include protection of web-based threats like social engineering attacks, unwanted software, and malware. According to Google, its Safe Browsing feature currently protects 2 billion devices.
The company makes the free software publicly available to developers. According to PC World, the Safe Browsing service is used not only by Google's search engine but also by Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. The feature blocks users from accessing websites that host malicious software or malicious code.
Google's Safe Browsing also provides a public transparency report that posts graphs concerning the number of unsafe websites and malware detected by Google over the years. Users can consult maps that demonstrate malware distribution and graphs concerning notifications to webmasters. The website also shows the results of the individual scanning process performed by various companies.
