Google Chrome beta 17 'smarter' vs malware

 

Software engineer Dominic Hamon said the security improvement is due to sites that convince users to install malware – such as fake antivirus products.

 

"To help protect you against malicious downloads, Chrome now includes expanded functionality to analyze executable files (such as .exe and .msi files) that you download. If a file you download is known to be bad, or is hosted on a website that hosts a relatively high percentage of malicious downloads, Chrome will warn you that the file appears to be malicious and that you should discard it," Hamon said in a blog post.

 

Hamon said they noted an increase in malicious websites that try to convince users to download and run a file that will harm their computer.

 

Some websites even pretend this malicious file is a free antivirus product, he said.

 

"We’re starting small with this initial Beta release, but we will ramp up coverage for more and more malicious files in the coming months. Remember, no technical mechanism can ever protect you completely from malicious downloads. You should always be careful about which files you download and consider the reputation of their source," he said.

 

On the other hand, he said they also made improvements to the way Chrome loads web pages quickly.

 

He said Chrome will now start loading some web pages in the background, even before one finishes typing the URL (uniform resource locator) in the omnibox.

 

"If the URL auto-completes to a site you’re very likely to visit, Chrome will begin to prerender the page. Prerendering reduces the time between when you hit Enter and when you see your fully-loaded web page – in some cases, the web page appears instantly," he said. — LBG, GMA News