Google confirmed this week that it would improve malware security features for all customers participating in its Advanced Protection Program.
The Advanced Security Software was introduced in October 2017 to provide high-risk consumers with an extra layer of protection for their accounts, such as politicians and their employees, corporate owners, journalists, and activists. To take advantage of the enhanced protection options, any user can register.
The software originally involved the use of physical security keys, but Google began providing security keys in Android phones last year, and revealed support earlier this year to enable security keys on iPhones.
Following recent additions to the Advanced Security Platform introduced in early summer, Google announced this week that it has agreed to enhance the protection against malware accessible to users who have signed up for the programme.
Thus, the first move taken by the Internet search giant is to extend Chrome ‘s download scanning capabilities for these consumers, to supplement the anti-phishing security already available.
Users with Enhanced Defense are now well-protected from phishing. As a result, we’ve seen attackers threaten certain users by other means, such as guiding them to download malware, “explains Google.
Today, in addition to providing an alert when a downloaded file could be dangerous, Chrome enables users with Advanced Security to upload risky files to Google’s servers to be scanned by Secure Browsing’s more sophisticated malware detection technology. This could boost fraudulent file prevention, the organisation states.
“When a user instals a file, Secure Browsing will conduct a fast search using metadata, such as the file’s hashes, to determine if it seems illegal. The user will be met with an alert and the option to submit the file to be scanned for any files that Safe Browsing considers dangerous but not obviously unsafe, “the web giant says.
When a file is submitted by the user, the browser uploads it to Google Secure Browsing and the user gets an alert if the file is considered unsafe. However, when they are sure the file is secure, users will be given the option to bypass the alert and open the file, even without scanning it.
“A short time after searching, Secure Browsing deletes stored files,” Google also says.
