When Google Chrome first launched more than a decade ago, it wasn’t appreciated in terms of security. You never know when the extension will go rogue and hijack your homepage. But that has now changed. Various protections like malware scanning and isolated website processes mean it’s quite possibly one of the safest browsers around.
Chrome also plays an active role in protecting your system from malware. By default, it blocks files it deems unsafe from downloading to your computer. Unfortunately, that also means you won’t be able to download files from some sites you know to be trusted but Chrome thinks otherwise.
And then there’s the whole problem with Chrome blocking automatic downloads originating from the same source. That is very annoying sometimes. While disabling these security features is not a good idea, let’s be cautious and look at how you can do it.
Unblock potentially unsafe downloads
Chrome protects you from known phishing sites and malicious downloads with a built-in feature called Safe Browsing. Disabling this will prevent the browser from blocking downloads that it would otherwise consider unsafe.
Since you are vulnerable to online threats without Safe Browsing, only consider disabling it while unblocking any restricted downloads.
Step 1: Open the Chrome menu (click the three-dot icon in the upper right corner), then click Settings.
Step 2: Scroll down on the Settings page and select Security under Privacy & Security.
Step 3: Select the Radio button next to No Protection (Not Recommended). When the confirmation pop-up appears, select Off.
Chrome won’t block any downloads once you’ve made the changes. In addition, it will not warn you about malicious or potentially compromised websites that may attempt to phish for personal information or infect the browser in other ways.
Security warning:
To block unsafe downloads later, go back to the Chrome Settings panel and toggle the switch next to Safe Browsing.
Unblock automatic downloads
On sites that perform multiple downloads in a row (such as on file conversion sites), you may experience problems due to built-in content restrictions. It’s to prevent websites from automatically downloading malware along with other files.
While this restriction can be removed, Chrome will still prompt you for permission when it initiates a download unless you actively choose to whitelist websites.
Step 1: On the Chrome Settings panel, click Advanced, then Site Settings under Privacy and Security.
Step 2: Scroll down and select Automatic Download in the Additional Permissions section.
Step 3: Enable the switch next to ‘Do not allow any site to automatically download multiple files’.
It will then read as ‘Ask when a site tries to automatically download files after the first (recommended).’
Step 4: Chrome will now allow websites to perform automatic downloads. However, you will still be asked for permission whenever a website starts downloading.
If that gets complicated, click the Add button next to Allow, then add the URL of the site you want to whitelist.
Just like when Safe Browsing is turned off, only allow automatic downloads on sites you fully trust.
keep safe
Removing the restriction on unsafe downloads is not the smartest choice given the amount of malware that is rampant on a daily basis. If you still want to stay safe with Safe Browsing turned off and automatic downloads enabled indefinitely, consider using a security extension or malware removal extension. Let’s consider some.
Avast Online Security
With over 10 million users and a 4.4-star rating on the Chrome Web Store, you can’t afford to miss Avast Online Security. After adding the extension to Chrome, you can easily check if a website has been compromised by clicking the Avast icon next to the URL bar. And you can also contribute to the Avast community with your feedback on what you think about a particular site.
The extension also tracks search engine results, and you can instantly find out if certain websites are malicious. You should see a green check mark on sites that are safe to visit.
Avast Online Security also gives you access to many additional options such as the ability to block ads, trackers, and phishing attempts.
McAfee GUARANTEE Safe Browsing
McAfee SECURE Safe Browsing is a great extension to determine if a website is safe. A single click on McAfee’s GUARANTEE Safe Browsing icon provides a range of malware, phishing, encryption, and prevalence security metrics. And of course, a large green banner to indicate whether the site is secure or not.
If you don’t want all the extra frills associated with Avast Online Security, then McAfee SECURE Safe Browsing is the perfect alternative.
Malwarebytes
After downloading the file, it is important that you check for malware before opening it. Yes, you have Windows Defender, but instead, if you prefer a dedicated, simple, and effective malware removal tool, install Malwarebytes. It’s free and works great at detecting malicious code in downloaded files.
Right-click the file before opening it, and then select Scan with Malwarebytes. If everything is fine on the scan result, then you can go ahead and confidently open it regularly. It’s important that you do this on files that will be blocked with Chrome’s Safe Browsing feature enabled.
Malwarebytes also offers a 14-day free trial of the Premium version with real-time web protection against malicious websites. But since you just want to stay safe with Chrome’s Safe Browsing feature and turn off automatic download restrictions, the free version is more than enough.
Note: You can also try one of the premium VPN services like NordVPN or ExpressVPN to enhance your privacy. Guide Technology users can get a special discount on ExpressVPN where you can opt for a 15-month subscription (sign up using this link) and be billed for the first 12 months.
Be careful!
So that’s how you should go about bypassing Google Chrome’s restrictions on automatic or potentially unsafe downloads. Again, use caution when you disable these security measures.
Usually, Windows Defender can stop a full-blown malware infection from some innocent-looking but malicious executable that you ran right after downloading it.
Therefore, make sure to use an extension or malware scanner. You can never know for sure if a website or a file is safe.
Next: Want to dive into the basics of staying safe online? Click the link below and get yourself up-to-date.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
