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Google · Chrome safety2 min read

Google says Chrome's strongest safety setting blocks far more scams

Google says Chrome's Enhanced Protection mode is ten times safer than the default, and it just added warnings for shady sites and a defense against copy-and-paste scams.

By the Dashline deskSource: 9to5Google
Google says Chrome's strongest safety setting blocks far more scams
Photo: Unnerving duck, CC BY-SA 4.0

Google says Chrome's strongest safety setting, called Enhanced Protection, makes people ten times safer from phishing, social engineering, notification abuse and other scams than the standard setting does. Chrome just announced new features for it. The mode is a choice you make, and it is not switched on for everyone by default.

What changed

Chrome is adding warnings in the address bar for pages that show deceptive patterns often linked to known malicious sites. There are two levels. A suspicious site gets a shield icon, plus a box that lets you choose "Mark as safe" or "Back to safety." A dangerous site still gets a full-page red warning.

Smarter scam spotting

Chrome already used checks that run on your device. Now it also uses Google's Gemini AI models in the cloud. Google says this covers a wider range of threats, including fake antivirus and fake browser update scams.

The model reads a page and looks at the brand it claims to be, what the page is trying to do, and a score for how likely it is to be a scam. Safe Browsing combines that with the site's reputation and other security signals.

On privacy, Google says it handles page content ephemerally. In its words, that means the content is "never logged, retained, or used to train models."

The ClickFix defense

The third update targets a trick called ClickFix. A fake page claims something is broken, then talks you into copying a command and running it on your own computer. The command can download and set up malware. Because it runs outside the browser, it slips past Chrome's usual download protections.

When Chrome sees a copied command that might be ClickFix, it removes personally identifiable information from the clipboard and sends the rest to Safe Browsing. If the verdict is dangerous, Chrome shows a warning. Google says the system is built to be high precision, so it does not get in the way of legitimate developer work.

What to do

  • Open Chrome Settings, then Privacy and security, then Security.
  • Pick Enhanced Protection if you want the stronger mode.
  • Check the setting on family members' and staff computers too.

What is not clear

The announcement does not say when each new feature reaches users. It also does not explain how Google measured the ten times figure, so treat it as Google's own claim. Enhanced Protection launched in 2020, and Google said 1 billion users had it turned on in 2025.

The takeaway

Take a minute to check Chrome's Security settings and decide whether Enhanced Protection fits you, your family or your staff.

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