Browsing the Internet is no longer safe as we are used to before. However, piracy, phishing, extortion and ransomware have increased dramatically, and they all start from the widespread sources on the Internet, especially Google search. Most of the hackers today know how to use SEO to spread their malicious programs, and they also know how to phish their victims, and they know all the necessary information about these victims. Anti-virus programs are no longer sufficient in the face of these cyberattacks, but the user must protect himself and always take caution. There are many opportunities for the user to test the protection of his computer or device that he is using against security vulnerabilities, including what we will talk about today:
Google Chrome Safety check
In recent updates to Google Chrome, developers have added a scan option for the browser and its contents, including the user's Google account. We have to know the importance of using a Google account in Google Chrome and how it can maintain the user's activity against loss or forgetfulness and synchronize it with all the user's devices. The scan included in Google Chrome does the following:
- Google Chrome Updates.
- All Saved Accounts Passwords. (if it compromised or not)
- Safe Browsing.
- Extensions.
- Google Chrome Updates
- Passwords
- Safe Browsing
- Enhanced protection (Top Level): Faster, proactive protection against dangerous websites, downloads, and extensions. Warns you about password breaches. Requires browsing data to be sent to Google.
- Predicts and warns you about dangerous events before they happen
- Keeps you safe on Chrome and may be used to improve your security in other Google apps when you are signed in
- Improves security for you and everyone on the web
- Warns you if passwords are exposed in a data breach
- Sends URLs to Safe Browsing to check them. Also sends a small sample of pages, downloads, extension activity, and system information to help discover new threats. Temporarily links this data to your Google Account when you're signed in, to protect you across Google apps.
- Standard protection (Recommended Level): Standard protection against websites, downloads, and extensions that are known to be dangerous.
- Detects and warns you about dangerous events when they happen.
- Checks URLs with a list of unsafe sites stored in Chrome. If a site tries to steal your password, or when you download a harmful file, Chrome may also send URLs, including bits of page content, to Safe Browsing.
- No protection (Not Recommended Level): Does not protect you against dangerous websites, downloads, and extensions. You’ll still get Safe Browsing protection, where available, in other Google services, like Gmail and Search.
- Extensions Some hackers tend to program add-ons for the browser, adopt them in its store, and try to insert code to steal users' information or cause harm to the user's computer. A while ago, these attacks happened when one of the add-ons that provide a free VPN stole user accounts saved on the Google browser. But Google has become concerned with protecting the user from these add-ons, as it applies a strict policy to inspect these additions before using them.
The Google Chrome developer team provides continuous and mature updates to the Google Chrome browser to improve browsing efficiency or add new security options. From the reality of my dealings with the constant publication of Google updates, most of the updates come to fill serious security gaps that may cause the user to publish and make available information without his knowledge, called Zero Day. ZeroDay is a concept that denotes a breach in the case of discovery, meaning that if a program is installed that contains a backdoor vulnerability, it is available to hackers at the same time that the installation occurs. Google Chrome has an automatic update feature, but the user must follow the update method daily or follow our modest site to find new updates.
When setting up a Google Chrome account, any user's activity is recorded in his google account. Including passwords and usernames related to other sites, but the browser takes the user's permission to save this information. Google Chrome now has a record of our websites and accounts on them and compares those accounts with unusual search activities in leaked databases or searches for them in general. If there is a similarity in the data and search keywords, it assumes that one of those accounts was leaked and exposed to hacking. But we must be careful that Google Chrome may scan our Router IP address, username and password. If we record it in our google account, and we will find that it is leaked, which is expected because it is among the known keywords in the various explanations and is not essential.
Many browsers have their protection settings, but they vary in levels and features. But there is a general weakness of most browsers, as they are not integrated into protection during browsing, downloading, or add-ons. Here we are talking about the essential Google Chrome settings, which are somewhat like a firewall. There are three levels of protection in this wall, and they are:
Help improve security on the web for everyone (OFF): Sends URLs of some pages you visit, limited system information, and some page content to Google, to help discover new threats and protect everyone on the web.
Warn you if passwords are exposed in a data breach (ON): Chrome periodically checks your passwords against lists that have been published online. When doing this, your passwords and usernames are encrypted, so they can’t be read by anyone, including Google.
Chrome Links:
- Privacy and security: chrome://settings/privacy
- Extensions: chrome://extensions/
- Safety Check: chrome://settings/safetyCheck
- Security Levels: chrome://settings/security