Google announced this week that it will discontinue the Chrome Cleanup Tool, an application that allows users to identify and remove unwanted software.
Introduced in 2015, the tool also helps users recover from sudden configuration changes and has performed over 80 million unwanted software cleanups.
According to Google, the existence of the Chrome Cleanup Tool seems redundant amid a continued decline in user complaints about unwanted software: last year, only 3% of user complaints were about such applications.
Additionally, the number of unwanted software detections on user devices is very low, with less than 1% of Chrome Cleanup Tool scans performed last month to identify potential threats.
On top of that, the internet giant explains, Google Safe Browsing and antivirus software are now more effective at blocking unwanted software, eliminating the need for Chrome’s cleanup tool.
“Where based on files [unwanted software] migrated to extensions, our significant investments in the Chrome Web Store review process have helped detect malicious extensions that violate Chrome Web Store policies,” Google explains.
At the same time, the internet giant has observed new trends in the malware ecosystem, such as increased cookie theft, resulting in improvements in blocking malware downloads, malicious landing pages, and phishing and engineering emails. social.
Chrome 111, which was released this week, no longer allows users to request a scan with the Chrome cleanup tool or use the “Reset settings and cleanup” option. The component that performed automated scans and informed users about identified threats will also be removed.
“Even without the Chrome Cleanup Tool, users are automatically protected by Safe Browsing in Chrome. Users also have the option to turn on enhanced protection by navigating to chrome://settings/security; this mode substantially increases protection against dangerous websites and downloads by sharing data in real time with Safe Browsing,” says Google.
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