How Do I Protect My Chrome Browser?

There are always greater concerns whenever you hear people talking about web browsers, and their safety of usage. Especially with the fast-paced global economic world—and the wake of new technology.

Also, it’s no secret at all that the Chrome browser is the most widely used to surf the web today. Many people are favouring Chrome over a dozen other browsers because of its user-friendly interface, and the ease of use. But there are some other special features like the Google incognito Window, and Chrome Safe Browsing, that are especially rewarding for its users.

If you’re not yet aware—how to maximise your browser protection—you might find yourself prone to malicious malware attacks, and other vast security breaches like adware, spams, or hacking attempts.

On laptops, or desktop computers, for example, the primary way you can acquire info from the web is through an internet browser. As such, potential hackers will almost often aim for browsers like Chrome to feast their malicious programs. Here, you will learn some tricks, and the most effective ways you can secure optimum browsing privacy.

Effective Ways to Ensure Your Chrome Browser Protection

Many people will almost not go a day without surfing the web—with a browser. But this only makes them the key targets for hackers. However, there are still ways you can keep your browser secure. And we have put together a list of effective ways that guarantees absolute browser protection.

Some Insights About Google Chrome Browser

While there are still other top web browsers like Mozilla, or Microsoft Edge which is often the first best choice for Windows users—Google Chrome, with a little over 2.6 billion users globally, is quite popular, and remains to be the top, and most widely known browser for daily web activities.

And while it’s only a good thing to be popular, this popularity also comes with some cons. It is what makes the Chrome browser to be statistically the most vulnerable for malicious spyware, and other cybersecurity attacks.

How to Protect Chrome? Simple Tricks to Protect Your Browser

Whether you’re surfing from a desktop or using your phone to browse—Google Chrome is always often your primary portal to the internet. This is how you often interact on social platforms, or view websites, and as such, it’s only obvious that you must secure utmost browser protection.

To help keep your browser free from the nuisance adware, and other cybersecurity attacks—the following 15 tips about the best privacy hygiene practises will help you get the most from your Chrome—and have a better life online.

1. Update Your Browser Frequently

It is always a good idea to keep up-to-date with the latest version of Chrome as engineers are often working every other day to fix the security liabilities of this browser. By default, however, Google Chrome always automatically updates itself whenever there is a new change. But if you’re the kind that likes to keep your browser active for days, and you’re often working with several tabs, you can still know if there is a new update by looking at the icon on the top right side of your browser.

Moreover, the icon will often show up in various colours. Example, the green colour means the update has been released recently. Yellow, and red colours indicate that the update was released some four, or seven days ago. But regardless of the colour—tap the icon for Chrome to start installing the new updates.

Additionally, you don’t need to have concerns about losing any work in progress. Because your sessions will be restored back to where you left from, when the browser restarts with the fresh updates.

2. Use Safe Browsing on Google Chrome

One of the coolest settings in Chrome is the Google safe browsing setting. If you enable the standard browser protection, Google will always tend to step-in with a warning whenever you’re trying to explore predictable harmful sites, downloading unknown files, or installing dangerous extensions.

Also, while Google Chrome Safe Browsing is always the best way to use your Chrome—some people, in certain instances, choose to turn this off whenever they are tempted to download documents, or files, which they are trusting but might have been flagged out by Chrome as harmful to their system.

Accordingly, although the rewards over the standard browser security are arguable—the improved browser protection only serves to be more practical. And you’re also needed to send your browser data to Google. Again, this is just another privacy concern by itself.

However, if what you were hoping to find is the best browser protection tool that guarantees ultimate privacy for your Chrome—Guardio is the most advanced tool, and the next best thing browser security extension you can trust. The product comes with a free trial without the need to attach a credit card which gives you a better chance to experience, and enjoy the rewards of securing Chrome with the best advanced browser extension.

3. Control Your Online Activities

Like the saying goes, security always begins with you. It doesn’t only come from outside. With that said, it’s important to be aware of the many distractions that often come along when you’re surfing the web. The most popular distractions are the social marketing notifications. They always tend to lead you to strange places, leave you stranded and just roaming around the internet, getting yourself exposed to cyberthreats.

Also, at the end of your unexpected strange web tour, you will not only end up drifting away from your main work—but you might as well end up following malicious links, or downloading unnecessary things. To control your internet activities, or browsing habits, avoid the following pitfalls.

• Avoid taping on glamorous images often showing as related content, or contexts at the bottom of a page.
• Avoid following indefinite links from sites, or your Gmail.
• Avoid downloading executable, and other files that are coming from untrusted sources.

4. Shut-down JavaScript

First, what is JavaScript? In a nutshell, JavaScript is simply a programming language. Its primary purpose on Chrome is to help it run most programs on the browser. JavaScript is very crucial for various net-streaming sites like Netflix, for example. Yet, it also plays its roles in adverts, and pop-up boxes you often encounter while surfing the web.

Accordingly, attackers are always aiming to inject their nuisance adware among other harmful things like malware to your device through sites, and apps that have JavaScript turned on. While stopping JavaScript can interfere with the way some sites, or programs are working—if privacy is your top concern—you’re sure to follow the below steps to shut-down JavaScript.

• Tap on the control icon located at the top-right corner of your browser window. Pick “settings” from the menu.
• Next, pick the “Advanced” option then go to privacy and security > content settings. Choose Chrome content settings.
• Note: Google Chrome allows JavaScript on all sites by default but you can tap on JavaScript from the settings, and shut it down whenever you want.

Additionally, it helps to know that many modern sites require support from JavaScript to properly display content. As such, cutting-off JavaScript services will only break the display for such sites that are mainly dependent on scripts. So, instead of just restricting JavaScript at browser level—perhaps, you can consider adding some very specific websites in the blacklist.

5. Delete or Clear Cookies

What are cookies? Briefly, cookies are versatile data files that are used by website owners to remember account details, and track their user activities. But potential attackers are continually aiming at cookies to get the most sensitive data like your credit card details, or passwords.

To amplify your browser protection, it’s critical that you delete, or simply clear cookies on your browser. While some of us are often neglecting this, remembering to log out from all sites before clearing cookies is also a crucial part when it comes to privacy, or browser security measures.

Accordingly, once you are certain that all your important info has been saved, following the below steps will help you to clear cookies, and improve your browsing privacy.

To get it done, tap the menu icon at the top-right corner of your browser. Select history from the list, then choose, clear browsing data. In Addition, it’s also a good practice to clear the cached images and files, and browsing history to keep your browser neat. While some of us may only take it as time-wasting—performing these actions has bigger impacts on browser protection attempts.

6. Use Google Incognito Window or Tabs

Firstly, as a default setting, the Chrome browser always saves your browsing history to make it easier for you to quickly retrieve the data, the next time you are tempted to access the same information. This is certainly beneficial, but it’s not always such a good practice—especially on shared computers. Because it’s easier for the next user to launch Chrome, and check the history for your existing activities.

Consequently, at times when you must use a public, or a shared computer—always be sure to operate in incognito tabs. This way, you’re certain that the browser won’t store any cookies, or your account info. As such, no other users will be able to track, or see your last activities, or browsing history once you’re done with the browser.

Moreover, if you have no idea how to start the Google incognito tab, tap on the three dots on the top-right side of your Chrome browser, and select, “New Incognito Window” from the list. Its icon looks like a cowboy hat, and some spectacles gazing at you.

7. Shut-down Background Synching and Other Activities

Talking about your browser protection, or the Chrome safety settings—it also helps to know that not only the cookies, or websites that are often collecting your info. Your browsing data is always directed to Google itself whenever you’re synching your accounts across devices. Like sharing Chrome on your phone, and computer, for instance.

To turn-off background synching and services, you can tap on your account’s profile image to launch the menu. Select the, “sync is on” button, and turn-off the sync. But you can also choose to manage what you want to sync from here.

8. Block Your Location Information

If privacy is your top concern—then, leaving your location data on is something you don’t really want to do. Chrome is often very keen in broadcasting stuff like the traffic updates, places you have visited, and your up-to-date map which is nice altogether—but you can’t leave your location turned-on if you’re looking to have total privacy.

In addition to the benefits of using Chrome, this browser can locate a missing device if the location feature was turned on before it got lost. But you must not lose your guard because most applications will almost often ask to turn on location for their purposes, or benefits.

Again, while Google doesn’t intend to do anything despicable with your location data—you still have the right to cut-out this information. Because, with third-party applications, or programs, your location is a big concern since it’s not often clear how they are going to use it—or why they even need it in the first place.

Since Google only wants its users to get the most out of their browsing experience, they included a feature that allows you to handle this location thing to suit your needs. To access it, simply go to myactivity.google.com to quickly launch the relevant settings. From there, you can cut-off your location info, and manage other things like your personal history data.

9. Cut-off Mic and Camera

Well, let’s say it as it is. No one is going to feel nice if they found out that someone else was listening, or watching them. Although you will almost not come across such a case—it is not completely a new thing to our ears. And you probably may have already overheard this once—or maybe twice. However, there are other Chrome security and* privacy settings* that can help you limit access to your device’s mic and camera.

To get it done, click the three dots on the top-right side of your browser to launch the menu. Go to settings > privacy and security > site settings. From there, you will get a list of various permissions, including the mic and camera permission. By default, however, your camera and mic should stay on.

Still, leaving them enabled only makes it easier for hackers to hijack them if, let’s say, someone else has access to your computer. A hacker might also use it to run malware, or spyware into your system. Regardless, there are many instances when you need them, but even so, it’s still nice, and especially helpful to have full control over these vulnerable system features.

10. Shut-down Web notifications

Your browser protection is not only always about the instant threats like malware attacks, or spyware. Many users only want a, no, or less irritating online life. Also, from the dawn of new technology, and the rise of smartphones—push notifications have become a thing. And websites have enclosed that, they too can ping you with news and updates from their scope of things.

While it all started with easy push notifications—often sent on phones—the idea has protracted to desktop browsers as well. And while you’re busy waiting for a page to load, you will likely see a box popping up—asking if you want to receive their web notifications. Although some of these things are only genuine—in our experience, it’s almost always the uncertain websites that rumble you with their nuisance notifications.

In some instances, some will even try coding the website you’re on to force themselves in. If you ever come across this kind of thing—there’s your red flag! Quickly exit the page, clear cookies and your browsing data sooner. Also, if at all you find the whole thing to be so irritating, there is a way you can stop these things from even happening in the first place.

To cut-off notifications; launch the menu, then, go to privacy and security > site settings > notifications. From there, you can decide to “block all”, or you can choose to explore more to see which other websites you previously allowed to send their push notifications.

11. Lock Chrome Behind a Password

Passwords are always a great way to keep your accounts safe. And while it is almost often ignored by some others—keeping Google Chrome safe behind a password is very essential for your browser protection. But this is not only about your phone unlock pin, or pattern—or even your__ google account password__. There is a way to lock Chrome itself behind a password to prevent others from using it.

Nevertheless, following the recent updates on Chrome, it is safer to say that you need a third-party program like Folder Guard or My Lockbox, for instance, that permits you to lock such things like your files, folders, software, in a safe that is password protected.

12. Run Google Chrome Safety Check

What is Google Chrome Safety Check? In brief, the “Safety Check” is yet another new set of the Google Chrome browser protection, or security settings. This new feature is notable on the left side of your browser’s settings page. If you click on it, it will start running checks for available updates, harmful system applications as well as any bad browser extensions.

Further, one of the best safety features is the “saved password checker”. This feature can tell if a password is weak, and at the same time, it makes it much easier for you to update them. Once you have detected a red alert on conceded passwords—replace them with a stronger password, there, and then.

Accordingly, although it doesn’t often mean that someone else may have accessed your account—there is a fair chance that your login info has leaked at some other places on the internet. Let me explain.

This kind of thing mainly occurs when a website’s database has been hacked, causing the data to be dumped elsewhere in public. Also, using the same password for everything can only bring you bigger problems. If someone gets hold of it, for instance, it’s easier for them to guess the sites you have visited lately.

13. Chrome Secret or Hidden Settings

When you finally decide to research about your browser protection, you are also likely going to encounter the so-called “hidden chrome settings”. Again, let me explain.

Hidden Chrome Settings are advanced settings that are kind of harder to understand—or even navigate. Check below to see some critical info regarding these settings that we have trickled-out for your best knowledge.

Firstly, the sceptic in us believes that Google decided on hiding these settings because they just don’t want us to alter them for classified reasons. In practice, the most difficult to locate are called flags.

But that’s not anymore because all you need to do today to access these settings is type, or paste “chrome://flags” at the address bar. Being able to understand them is almost a wild goose chase for many people. Most flags, however, can change the looks, and feel of your browser.

For example, you can force dark background mode, and put additional tab groups on your desktop computer just like it is done on an Android device. Also, you can enable reader mode to strip-down pages to the transcript—and essential bits. But equally, there are certain things that are worth considering whenever it comes to your Chrome browser protection—or simply, the privacy and security. Accordingly, on an Android device, if you search for “Preview” within the flags settings page—an option to “enable a preview page” will come-up. From there, you can see a smaller tab with an image link, or a webpage within the original page—without even the need of opening the URL itself. This is especially useful in case you get a little hesitant regarding the link.