Security Blog
The latest news and insights from Google on security and safety on the Internet
New warnings about potentially malicious binaries
April 17, 2013
Posted by Moheeb Abu Rajab, Security Team
If you use Chrome, you shouldn’t have to work hard to know what Chrome extensions you have installed and enabled. That’s why last December we announced that Chrome (version 25 and beyond) would
disable silent extension installation by default
. In addition to protecting users from unauthorized installations, these measures resulted in noticeable performance improvements in Chrome and improved user experience.
To further safeguard you while browsing the web, we recently added new measures to protect you and your computer. These measures will identify software that violates Chrome’s standard mechanisms for deploying extensions, flagging such binaries as malware. Within a week, you will start seeing Safe Browsing
malicious download warnings
when attempting to download malware identified by this criteria.
This kind of malware commonly tries to get around silent installation blockers by misusing
Chrome’s central management settings
that are intended be used to configure instances of Chrome internally within an organization. In doing so, the installed extensions are enabled by default and cannot be uninstalled or disabled by the user from within Chrome. Other variants include binaries that directly manipulate Chrome preferences in order to silently install and enable extensions bundled with these binaries. Our recent measures expand our capabilities to detect and block these types of malware.
Application developers should adhere to Chrome’s standard mechanisms for extension installation, which include the
Chrome Web Store
,
inline installation
, and the
other deployment options
described in the extensions development documentation.
Labels
#sharethemicincyber
#supplychain #security #opensource
android
android security
android tr
app security
big data
biometrics
blackhat
C++
chrome
chrome enterprise
chrome security
connected devices
CTF
diversity
encryption
federated learning
fuzzing
Gboard
google play
google play protect
hacking
interoperability
iot security
kubernetes
linux kernel
memory safety
Open Source
pha family highlights
pixel
privacy
private compute core
Rowhammer
rust
Security
security rewards program
sigstore
spyware
supply chain
targeted spyware
tensor
Titan M2
VDP
vulnerabilities
workshop
Archive
2025
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2024
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2023
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2022
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2021
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2020
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2019
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2018
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2017
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2016
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2015
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2014
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2013
Dec
Nov
Oct
Aug
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2012
Dec
Sep
Aug
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2011
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
2010
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
May
Apr
Mar
2009
Nov
Oct
Aug
Jul
Jun
Mar
2008
Dec
Nov
Oct
Aug
Jul
May
Feb
2007
Nov
Oct
Sep
Jul
Jun
May
Feed
Follow @google
Follow
Give us feedback in our
Product Forums
.
Otomatik - 172.217.169.97
CloudFlare DNS
Türk Telekom DNS
Google DNS
Open DNS
OSZAR »
Follow