Chrome 83: Enhanced Safe Browsing, Secure DNS, a Safety Check
Google has released version 83 of it’s popular Chrome web browser, which includes new security and privacy features and fixes for security issues.
Chrome 83: New and improved security and privacy features
The enhanced Safe Browsing mode will allow users to get a more personalized protection against malicious sites.
“Phishing sites rotate domains very quickly to avoid being blocked, and malware campaigns are directly targeting at-risk users,” Google explained.
“Turning on Enhanced Safe Browsing will substantially increase protection from dangerous websites and downloads. By sharing real-time data with Google Safe Browsing, Chrome can proactively protect you against dangerous sites. If you’re signed in, Chrome and other Google apps you use (Gmail, Drive, etc.) will be able to provide improved protection based on a holistic view of threats you encounter on the web and attacks against your Google Account.”
A new Safety Check option allows users to scan their Chrome installation and show whether the browser is up to date, whether the Safe Browsing service is on, whether potentially harmful extensions have been installed, and whether any of the passwords the user uses has been compromised in a known breach.
New cookie controls and settings – from now on, users will be able to delete cookies on a per-site basis and block third-party cookies while using Chrome’s Incognito mode (aka “private browsing” mode).
Secure DNS – build on top of the DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) protocol.
“When you access a website, your browser first needs to determine which server is hosting it, using a step known as a ‘DNS (Domain Name System) lookup.’ Chrome’s Secure DNS feature uses DNS-over-HTTPS to encrypt this step, thereby helping prevent attackers from observing what sites you visit or sending you to phishing websites,” Google noted.
“By default, Chrome will automatically upgrade you to DNS-over-HTTPS if your current service provider supports it. You can also configure a different secure DNS provider in the Advanced security section, or disable the feature altogether.”
Some features have already been rolled out, others will be made available to desktop Chrome users in upcoming weeks.