Microsoft’s new Chrome extension will boost your browser security

Phishing attacks occur when cyber-criminals try to lure you onto their domains using fake links, images, and videos as bait. These fake links are all over the internet you’ll often receive scam and fake email filled with them, all designed to get you onto infected domains that will then pump your PC full of viruses and malware.

When it comes to phishing attacks, vigilance is the number one defense tactic. Always check the domains of links you’re going to click on and the sender addresses of the emails you receive. Never click a link you’re unsure of.

Since we’re only human, we’re prone to making mistakes. This is why we should also use software that protects us against phishing attacks. Modern web browsers come prepacked with software protocols designed to protect us from all sorts of modern threats, but not all browsers have equal levels of protection. According to the NSS Labs 2017 Web Browser Security Comparative Reports, Microsoft Edge has the best built-in socially engineered malware protection that is always on. Edge offers 99 percent protection against phishing attacks, which beats Google Chrome at 87 percent and Mozilla Firefox at 70 percent.

Obviously, Microsoft would like you to switch to their own web browser but if you’re not likely to change browsers, they’d still like to keep you protected. To that end, they’ve released a new Windows Defender extension for Google Chrome that will afford the same level of protection against phishing attacks as you’ll get on Microsoft Edge.

The new Chrome extension offers constant access to “a dynamic list of reported malicious sites and files known to be harmful.” Whenever you click a link, the extension will check it against the list and if there is a match, it’ll block access to the site and show you red screen with a message telling you the site could be unsafe.

You can get your hands on the new Windows Defender Chrome extension here.

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