Monday 4 November 2013

Google loads Chrome browser with malware killswitch

Google Chrome is currently a beta release for Windows XP and Windows Vista
Google has added a new reset function to its Chrome browser in a bid to help protect users from online cyber scams.
Google vice president, Linus Upson, unveiled the plans in a blog post and explained the feature is a reaction to a recent wave of cyber attacks targeting the company's customers.
"Online criminals have been increasing their use of malicious software that can silently hijack your browser settings," he wrote.
"We're taking steps to help, including adding a ‘reset browser settings' button in the last Chrome update, which lets you easily return your Chrome to a factory-fresh state. You can find this in the ‘Advanced Settings' section of Chrome settings."
Upson said the attacks are dangerous as the criminals are bundling the malicious software with a variety of free services. "Bad guys trick you into installing and running this kind of software by bundling it with something you might want, like a free screensaver, a video plugin or - ironically - a supposed security update, explained Upson.
"These malicious programs disguise themselves so you won't know they're there and they may change your homepage or inject ads into the sites you browse. Worse, they block your ability to change your settings back and make themselves hard to uninstall, keeping you trapped in an undesired state."
The Google vice president said the settings killswitch is one of many security features the company is working on. These include the current Canary build of Chrome's inbuilt malware blocking and Safe Browsing features.
The features are designed to automatically detect and block malware on download files and websites. Upson said the Safe Browsing service blocks 10,000 websites per day.
Google has touted security as a key selling point for its free Chrome browser. Prior to Upson, Google confirmed it would continue offering security patches for the Windows XP versions Chrome until at least 2015, a full year after Microsoft officially ends support for the operating system.

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