Google gives Chrome a radical security overhaul: here's what it means to you

Google gives Chrome a radical security overhaul: here's what it means to you

In the coming weeks, Google will roll out a series of updates and improvements to Chrome to improve security and user privacy. But in addition to introducing new options and features to keep users safe in the online browser, Google also makes existing options easier to use and understand. Chrome's settings interface is getting a redesign to make things clearer. For example, site settings have been reorganized to make it easier to change site authorization settings. The ``Clear browsing data'' option has also been moved to a larger position, and there are many other security and privacy changes including DNS over HTTPS and an updated security checker. The new version of the security verification tool will notify you if any of the passwords you saved in Chrome were part of a security breach. If some have been compromised, you will be given advice on what to do. On top of that, the tool will make sure you have the latest and most secure version of Chrome, make sure no dangerous browser extensions are installed, and alert you if the Safe Browsing protection feature is disabled. There are also new and improved safe browsing features that make sure you don't visit dangerous websites or download malware. One major new feature is Secure DNS, which is Google's version of DNS over HTTPS. This security feature encrypts DNS lookups to ensure they cannot be intercepted or viewed by third parties.

Safe and sound

In a change to Chrome's interface, Google adds a new "puzzle" icon to the browser's toolbar. This is where you can access your extensions and control the permissions they have. By using private incognito mode, in addition to not storing your browsing history, Chrome will also start blocking third-party cookies, although it is possible to work around this if necessary. Google says all of these security and privacy features and improvements will be coming to the desktop version of Chrome on Windows, macOS, and Linux in the ``weeks to come,'' but no specific timeframe has been released. Some features, like blocking third-party cookies in incognito mode, will also be coming to Android, but again, we don't know exactly when. over the edge