Google Chrome to Inspect Visited Websites for Helpdesk Fraud

By Netvora Tech News

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Google has announced that its Chrome browser will soon inspect visited websites for helpdesk fraud and display a warning if the browser detects any suspicious activity. This move builds upon Chrome's existing Google Safe Browsing feature, which warns users of known malicious websites.

Why the Need for Additional Protection?

According to Google, the average malicious website is only up for a short period of time, often less than 10 minutes, making it challenging for Safe Browsing to identify them all. That's why Chrome is introducing the Gemini Nano large language model (LLM) on-device, which will inspect the content of potentially dangerous websites to detect helpdesk fraud.

Helpdesk Fraud: A Growing Concern

Helpdesk fraud is a type of scam where victims receive pop-ups and messages from websites claiming there's a problem with their computer and that they need to call a specific phone number or install software to resolve the issue. Once the scammer gains access to the victim's computer, they can steal money from bank accounts or trick users into paying for fake solutions.

How Chrome Will Identify Helpdesk Fraud

When Chrome detects signs of helpdesk fraud on a visited website, the Gemini Nano model will inspect the page's content further to identify potential scams. Google claims that this process will protect users' privacy.

Enhanced Protection Mode

Users will need to enable the Enhanced Protection mode in Chrome's Safe Browsing feature to access this new scam detection feature. This mode sends more information to Google, but users can rest assured that their privacy is being protected.

Availability

The scam detection feature is available in Chrome 137 and will be rolling out to Android users later this year.