Odds are that if you’ve got malware on your PC, it came from something you accidentally downloaded through a web browser. Sometimes that means something you click installs a hidden application on your PC. Sometimes it can affect the browser itself.

So while anti-virus and anti-spyware programs can help keep you safe, Google is updating its Chrome browser with some new built-in anti-malware tools.

The company outlined a set of recent changes in a blog post.

First up, there’s a new notification that will pop up to let you know if a browser extension changes your settings without you’re actively consenting. For instance, if you install a browser extension on purpose (or accidentally) but didn’t mean to let it change your default search engine, Chrome will notice if it does it anyway, and ask if you’d like to disable the extension and restore your previous settings.

Next, Google has also updated its Chrome Cleanup tool that alerts you if “harmful software” is discovered on your PC. An alert will pop up and ask if you want to remove the program and restore your Chrome settings if they’ve been affected.

Google says it’s worked with ESET security to improve Chrome Cleanup so it can identify and remove more of the software that you probably didn’t mean to install in the first place.

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6 replies on “Chrome for Windows gets new anti-malware tools”

  1. A shame they haven’t done the same with Macs. I’m seeing a lot of the same issues with my clients on MacOS. Someone clicks a funny link or mistypes a URL and suddenly Chrome (and sometimes Safari as well) is acting wacky with strange redirects and popups. Usually the solution is resetting the settings, but these changes would greatly benefit us outside of Windows.

  2. I Trust Google Like I Trust the Clintons and Pelosi and Shumer and McCain !!!

  3. It seems as if you’re giving a web browser control access to your programs and operating system. And being very trusting in Google to behave responsibly with the information they look for and record from your PC.

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