If you’re a regular Chrome user, here are eight tips to help make the browser more secure on your device. Discover our 8 tips to make Chrome more secure on your device
As Chrome’s popularity has grown over the past decade, so have third-party partnerships in the form of extensions, apps, and software. These integrations can help you be more productive, but they can also put you and your data at risk.
8 tips to make Chrome more secure on your device
Fortunately, Chrome is one of the most secure browsers available. It comes with many built-in features to ensure your online safety, but you may not be familiar with all of them. To help protect your browser, here are eight tips to make your browser more secure.
1. Change to the enhanced chrome protection
Safe Browsing, a Google security service to protect users from malicious websites, offers two types of protection; Standard and enhanced. Unless you have changed it before, your browser is set to Standard Protection by default. Standard protection warns you about unsafe websites before you visit them and helps you avoid potentially harmful files and extensions.
However, the enhanced protection offers much more. It’s a must-have security setting with features like warning users to change passwords if they’re exposed during a breach, improving security in other Google apps you use, and predicting harmful events before they happen.
This is how you can change your browser protection from Standard to Enhanced to improve your security:
- Navigate to Chrome Settings by tapping the three vertical dots in the upper right corner.
- Click on Privacy & Security in the left sidebar and navigate to Security .
- Enable the enhanced protection in Secure browsing
2. Avoid visiting unsafe websites
It can be risky to send sensitive data to a website over an insecure connection. Google warns its users of possible harm when they access a specific website or page that provides an insecure connection.
Don’t visit these insecure websites unless you have to, and if you do, don’t add any personal information. Also, if you frequently use and save the same credentials (such as a username, email, and password) on most websites, avoid using them on those websites.
To notify users of a secure connection, a lock symbol appears behind the address bar and the URL starts with “HTTPS”, most of the time.
3. Update Chrome regularly
Google releases new Chrome updates every few months to improve the user experience. Chrome updates automatically when a new update is available. However, if automatic updates are turned off, you may be using an outdated version of Chrome without knowing it.
Using an outdated version of Chrome exposes your personal information and infects your system with malware. To ensure a smooth and secure experience, be sure to keep your browser up to date.
Check frequently for new Chrome updates if they are available to stay up to date. Tap the three vertical dots in the top right corner and click Help > About Google Chrome to check if your Chrome is up to date.
If you see the message “Chrome is up to date,” you’re good to go. If not, please refresh and restart your browser.
4. Enable two-step verification on your Google account
To make your Google account more secure, 2-Step Verification adds an extra step to the sign-in process. Whenever you sign in to your account with two-step verification enabled, Google will authenticate your identity using one of three identification methods that you set.
As a result, even if hackers gain access to your username and password, they will not be able to access your personal information.
To enable two-step verification, sign in to your Google account and navigate to the Security tab in the left sidebar. In Sign in to Google you will find a two-step verification option that is turned off by default.
Touch it and click Begin . Google will ask you to sign in to your account again and offer you three options.
The first way is to use the Google prompt to choose your mobile phone for two-step verification. With this option, Google will send you notifications on your phone for you to review and sign in to your account.
The other two methods include using a physical security key to log in and receive codes for text messages or phone calls on your mobile phone.
After selecting your preferred option, touch Continue . Google will ask you to add your phone number as a backup if you lose your mobile phone or security key.
5. Use of verChrome security check
Chrome has a built-in tool that allows you to test how secure your browser is. This tool helps you identify any data breaches, available browser updates, malicious extensions, the strength of your saved passwords, and the type of protection you are using in your browser.
To run a security check, follow these steps:
- Navigate to the setting from Chrome.
- In security check I touched Check now
Chrome will alert you to your weak security areas in a few seconds. Regular execution of security checks will ensure your safety.
6. Clean your computer regularly
While antivirus software does the job of removing malware from your system, it can also miss the potential threat that might be hindering your browser processing. This is where Chrome’s desktop cleanup feature comes into play. It can help you identify and remove viruses from your computer.
Here’s how to clean up your computer with Chrome:
- Go to the setting from Chrome.
- I touched Advanced at the bottom of the settings page.
- Scroll to the bottom of Advanced configuration and click ” clean computer «.
- Click on Search .
Depending on the amount of data on your system, it may take a while for Chrome to detect and notify you of potential threats. You should do this cleaning at least once a month to stay protected.
7. Use guest account on network share
Carefully consider where you are using and syncing your Google account. Do not use it on a shared computer, as you will unknowingly give others access to your synced data. If you must use a shared network, use a guest account to avoid compromising your security.
8. Don’t let incognito mode fool you
You should not assume that you are fully protected while using Google incognito mode. Chrome won’t store your history while browsing in incognito mode, but Google, your network service provider, as well as the websites you visit, can still track your activity.
The tips covered in the article make your online presence more secure. However, you should always use unique passwords for different websites. Other essential tips include using VPN when visiting insecure networks or websites and disabling the save password feature in Chrome.
Last but not least, run regular offline scans with antivirus software, such as Microsoft Defender, to keep your system clean and virus-free.
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