Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

SecurityWeekSecurityWeek

Phishing

Microsoft Launches Windows Defender Extension for Chrome

Microsoft has rolled out a new Windows Defender Browser Protection extension to help Chrome users stay safe from malware and phishing websites.

Microsoft has rolled out a new Windows Defender Browser Protection extension to help Chrome users stay safe from malware and phishing websites.

Aimed at delivering real-time protection, the browser extension can prevent online threats such as links in phishing emails, as well as websites that trick users into downloading and installing malicious software.

The manner in which Windows Defender Browser Protection works is pretty straightforward: it checks the accessed websites against a list of malicious URLs, to ensure that users stay secure when navigating the Internet using Chrome.

Thus, whenever a user clicks on a malicious link in an email or ends up navigating to a website specifically designed to deceive victims into disclosing personal, financial, or other sensitive information, or which hosts malware, the new Chrome extension displays an alert.

“If the malicious link matches one on the list, Windows Defender Browser Protection will show a red warning screen letting you know that the web page you are about to visit is known to be harmful, giving you a clear path back to safety with one click,” Microsoft says.

The list of harmful sites known to Microsoft is constantly being updated, so that Windows Defender Browser Protection can keep users safe from newly discovered phishing and socially engineered malware sites.

The Chrome extension takes advantage of the same intelligence that powers Microsoft Edge’s protection capabilities, allowing users to add an extra layer of security when browsing online.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Based on NSS Labs 2017 Web Browser Security Comparative Reports (which tested Chrome 60.0.3112.113, Edge 40.15063.0.0, and Firefox 55.0.3 running on Windows 10 Pro Enterprise), Microsoft Edge can deliver a much more efficient protection compared to Chrome and Firefox.

When measuring the browsers’ protection against phishing attacks, NSS Labs found that Edge could block 92.3% of phishing URLs, while Chrome’s rate was of 74.5% and Firefox fell behind at 61.1%. Furthermore, Edge blocked 99.5% of the Socially Engineered Malware (SEM) samples, Chrome blocked 87.5% of them, while Firefox only prevented 70.1% of samples.

The new Windows Defender Browser Protection extension is available through the Chrome Web Store.

Related: Chrome 66 Distrusts Older Symantec Certificates

Related: Microsoft Edge Tops Browser Protection Tests

Written By

Ionut Arghire is an international correspondent for SecurityWeek.

Click to comment

Daily Briefing Newsletter

Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest threats, trends, and technology, along with insightful columns from industry experts.

SecurityWeek’s Threat Detection and Incident Response Summit brings together security practitioners from around the world to share war stories on breaches, APT attacks and threat intelligence.

Register

Securityweek’s CISO Forum will address issues and challenges that are top of mind for today’s security leaders and what the future looks like as chief defenders of the enterprise.

Register

Expert Insights

Related Content

Phishing

The easiest way for a cyber-attacker to gain access to sensitive data is by compromising an end user’s identity and credentials. Things get even...

Application Security

Fortinet on Monday issued an emergency patch to cover a severe vulnerability in its FortiOS SSL-VPN product, warning that hackers have already exploited the...

Nation-State

The North Korean APT tracked as TA444 is either moonlighting from its previous primary purpose, expanding its attack repertoire, or is being impersonated by...

Application Security

Password management firm LastPass says the hackers behind an August data breach stole a massive stash of customer data, including password vault data that...

Application Security

Microsoft on Tuesday pushed a major Windows update to address a security feature bypass already exploited in global ransomware attacks.The operating system update, released...

Phishing

The Single Most Important Part of Dealing with a Phishing Attack is Preparing for the Attack Before it Actually Happens.

Application Security

Electric car maker Tesla is using the annual Pwn2Own hacker contest to incentivize security researchers to showcase complex exploit chains that can lead to...

Cybercrime

Reddit says its systems were hacked following a sophisticated phishing attack aimed at employees.