With the advance in technology, hackers are becoming more sophisticated in the way they carry out phishing over the internet. Google Chrome is currently testing a feature to cab that behavior.
Google Chrome will provide a warning when you have tapped on a suspicious link. The feature which is currently in testing can be enabled as an experimental feature in the stable version of Chrome.
The feature was highlighted by Emily Stark, an engineer on Google Chrome’s security team. The tool will flag mis-typed URLs or shady domains looking to deceive web users by closely mimicking the addresses of other websites. When this happens, the feature will redirect users from the sketchy URL to the real one.
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“The warning alerts users to the fact that they aren’t heading to a popular website or a website they’ve engaged with in the past. If the user wants to keep going in that direction, they can click “ignore.”” Stark said.
It is a common practice for hackers to use common misspellings of popular sites in attempts to catch people off guard when they make a mistake typing in a URL. These malicious sites are designed to steal a person’s credentials and other personal information.
In order to enable the extra bit of protection, visit chrome://flags/#enable-lookalike-url-navigation-suggestions. The feature will most likely be a Google Chrome default feature at some point upon successful testing. This feature is available for Google Chrome 70 and above.
We keep our fingers crossed as we await the final roll out of that feature. What are your thoughts on that possible development?
Major Credits: Engadget, ZDNet
Featured Image source: Pixaby
