Chrome no longer only blocks sites already known to be dangerous: it now warns when a page resembles those used for phishing, malware and scams. It is the most concrete novelty Google announced on its official blog on October 20, alongside two other defenses against online scams.
Two warning levels
Until now the browser showed a full-page red warning for dangerous sites. The update adds a second level for suspicious sites. The alert appears in the address bar with a shield icon and a more discreet dialog, letting users go back or mark the site as safe and continue.
The criterion is comparison with other deceptive sites. Gemini also plays a role, analyzing the page content, the brand it represents, the domain's reputation and other signals to derive a scam likelihood score. Google says these warnings are distinguished by format, icons, colors and text, so they do not all look the same.
Fake antivirus and fake updates
The second novelty covers tech support scams, already targeted in 2025 with Gemini. The same protection now extends to fake antivirus software and phony browser updates. Google uses a more capable server-side Gemini model that analyzes page content and domain reputation. Data is sent to the server only when a page triggers high scam signals, and according to Google it is not logged, remembered or used to train the AI.
The copied command
The third defense targets ClickFix attacks, which trick users into copying and running a malicious command on their own computer, presented as a fix. Because the person carries out the steps, standard controls do not stop the attack. Chrome now detects the attempt: after the command is copied and before it is pasted, personal data is wiped from the clipboard, the content is analyzed and, if dangerous, a warning appears.
How to turn the protections on
The new features require Enhanced Protection in Safe Browsing, the strongest level available. On desktop open Settings, then Privacy and security, then Security; on mobile choose Safe Browsing. It is also worth enabling Enhanced Protection for your Google account, under Security & sign-in, in the Enhanced Safe Browsing section.
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