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Google Expands Safe Browsing To Block Unwanted Downloads

Posted by timothy on from the now-you-can-turn-off-adblock dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Google today announced it is expanding its Safe Browsing service to protect users against malware that makes unexpected changes to your computer. Google says it will show a warning in Chrome whenever an attempt is made to trick you into downloading and installing such software. In the case of malware, PUA stands for Potentially Unwanted Application, which is also sometimes called Potentially Unwanted Program or PUP. In short, the broad terms encompass any downloads that the user does not want, typically because they display popups, show ads, install toolbars in the default browser, change the homepage or the search engine, run several processes in the background that slow down the PC, and so on."

18 of 106 comments (clear)

  1. That would include Java then... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...and many open source program installers trying to get you to install toolbars, etc. Should be interesting.

    1. Re:That would include Java then... by mythosaz · · Score: 2

      Java's sideloading of other crap causes anger to the power of a thousand suns.

      It'd be less bothersome if every JRE update didn't suck so much to begin with.

    2. Re:That would include Java then... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      Find the Java Control Panel, go to advanced options, and near the bottom in miscellaneous, you can tell java not to bug you with crap ware when it updates.

    3. Re:That would include Java then... by dixonpete · · Score: 2, Insightful

      U gotta love Linux's repository model for this. Less choice but a lot more stability/honesty.

    4. Re:That would include Java then... by mythosaz · · Score: 3, Informative

      On Windows, from an enterprise perspective, that's not the way to do it.

      Java has moved to a set of files that go in %systemroot%\sun\java\deployment that now manages those settings.

      ...except they don't always work, and load in a race with the start of Java, causing options to be ignored half the time.

    5. Re:That would include Java then... by UnknownSoldier · · Score: 2

      Considering Minecraft has sold over 54 million copies, a few million which are on PC and OSX, yeah, people STILL use Java.

    6. Re:That would include Java then... by Jason+Levine · · Score: 2

      The one I use is http://www.SnapFiles.com/.

      --
      My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
  2. Re:Will Google have the balls to block Oracle? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The important question is whether they'll have the balls to block Google Toolbar.

  3. You just can't make this stuff up by Obfuscant · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Google says it will show a warning in Chrome whenever an attempt is made to trick you into downloading and installing such software.

    That's ... hilarious? I've always considered Chrome to be PUP or PUA considering how it always seemed to be downloaded with something else. I've had to remove Chrome from so many systems where someone has updated some other program and Chrome came along for the ride, sometimes even when I've installed other things and didn't pay extremely close attention. Now Chrome is going to rat out other programs that do the same thing!

    1. Re:You just can't make this stuff up by Gordo_1 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Well, as any successful malware author knows, you must pull up the ladder behind you once you're on board.

    2. Re:You just can't make this stuff up by rsmith-mac · · Score: 2

      Adobe Flash Player as recently as yesterday.

    3. Re:You just can't make this stuff up by Elbart · · Score: 2

      It's bundling McAfee when you download the Flash player with Firefox, but it's bundling Chrome when you download it in IE. :)

  4. Block all file downloaders by BenJeremy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm looking at you, CNET... you used to be cool.

    Pretty much any site requiring a "file downloader" is simply evil and should be expunged by or at least blacklisted by browsers. That would help fight 80% of the delivery of malware that I've seen infecting friend's and family's computers.

  5. Re:Good idea. by ShaunC · · Score: 2

    As with many things, the theory is fine, we're going to have to wait and see how it's executed. I've grown wary of lists like this because invariably you wind up with false positives, or with benign items being added to the list intentionally.

    --
    Thanks to the War on Drugs, it's easier to buy meth than it is to buy cold medicine!
  6. Block downloads with Chrome bundled by johanw · · Score: 3, Informative

    Would they also block downloads with Chrome bundled? That spyware is definitely unwanted on my system.

  7. Re:Good idea. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The real test is if they block stuff that installs Google Toolbar. If they don't then this is all just bullshit.

  8. Potentially... by nine-times · · Score: 2

    I know it's started becoming a common terminology, but I don't really like the terms "Potentially Unwanted Program" and "Potentially Unwanted Application". Any program/application is *potentially* unwanted. Whenever someone starts talking about PUP/PUA, I can never figure out where they're drawing the line.

  9. It's broken by Guspaz · · Score: 2

    It's currently blocking all downloads of software from dropbox. Which is super annoying. I kickstarted a game for the Oculus Rift, and the developer was trying to distribute the demo to his backers via dropbox, and Chrome is blocking it.