Google Chrome has a new feature to alert you of breached passwords and malware

Google Chrome
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Google has introduced a few changes to desktop versions of its popular web browser, Chrome including a new security alert feature.

Safety Check will warn you if your passwords have been compromised, or if you have installed an extension which contains malware. It will also nudge you to keep Chrome patched with the latest updates available.

It will be constantly running in the background and send popups regarding the aforementioned issues. It will also mimic Android systems by removing permissions from websites you no longer use. Such permissions include asking for your location and accessing your camera and microphone. 

New features

Safety Check will ask if you want to disable notifications from sites you haven't accessed in a while too.

Other updates that have come to Chrome recently include a tweak to its memory saver mode, giving users more information on this front when hovering over tabs, as well as a new setting that allows for quicker changes to allowing and disallowing certain sites to become inactive when not in use.

Within the next few weeks, Google will also be rolling out another new feature that will let users save their grouped tabs, allowing them to set the name and label color. These saved groups will sync, allowing users to access them on other desktop devices.

And along with quality-of-life improvements, Chrome recently provided a crucial security fix to a zero-day vulnerability that was being exploited in the wild. The flaw allowed for heap overflows, where attackers can overload memory. This was eighth zero-day of the year for Chrome. 

All users are urged to apply the patch by updating Chrome, if it hasn't been already. You can check if you have the latest version by navigating to Help, then clicking About Chrome.

Via TechCrunch

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Lewis Maddison
Reviews Writer

Lewis Maddison is a Reviews Writer for TechRadar. He previously worked as a Staff Writer for our business section, TechRadar Pro, where he had experience with productivity-enhancing hardware, ranging from keyboards to standing desks. His area of expertise lies in computer peripherals and audio hardware, having spent over a decade exploring the murky depths of both PC building and music production. He also revels in picking up on the finest details and niggles that ultimately make a big difference to the user experience.

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