Safe Browsing in Chrome for macOS will now protect against malware, unwanted software

In recent months, Google has expanded the scope of Safe Browsing protections to cover both Android and Gmail on the web. New changes are now aimed at defending Chrome users on macOS against unwanted software and malware targeting.

As a result, users will start seeing more bold red warning pages when they browse dangerous sites or download nefarious files. The new Safe Browsing initiative aims to reduce macOS-specific malware and unwanted software by focusing on ad injection and unauthorized user settings manipulation.

The latter plan specifically targets software that tries to change the start page, home page, and default search engine without user permission.

Developers of legitimate software are now provided with a specific API that gives end users more control over Chrome’s settings. This specific implementation is similar to the approach already live on Chrome for Windows.

Furthermore, Google notes that only extensions hosted in the Chrome Web Store are allowed to edit settings.

This change will go in effect on March 31, with Chrome Safe Browsing alerting users of software that attempts to modify settings without using the proper API.