Google to ‘gradually’ block insecure downloads on Chrome this year

Google has announced that it will “gradually” start blocking insecure downloads on Chrome this year.

In an effort to protect users from malware attacks, the company will first begin warning users about insecure downloads before eventually blocking them altogether.

“As a first step, we are focusing on insecure downloads started on secure pages. These cases are especially concerning because Chrome currently gives no indication to the user that their privacy and security are at risk,” Google said on its Online Security Blog.

According to the company, the change will begin with the Chrome 82 update in April and will eventually block all insecure downloads with the Chrome 86 update in October.

“This gradual rollout is designed to mitigate the worst risks quickly, provide developers an opportunity to update sites, and minimize how many warnings Chrome users have to see,”Google further explained.

The update will first roll out on Windows, macOS, Chrome OS and Linux before Android and iOS as well.

“Mobile platforms have better native protection against malicious files, and this delay will give developers a head-start towards updating their sites before impacting mobile users,” Google concluded.

Just last week the company also announced plans to no longer show disruptive ads on Chrome. This means that annoying ads, along with insecure downloads, could soon be a thing of the past on the browser.

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