Google has unveiled new features in its web platforms designed to prevent the spread of potentially unwanted programs (PUPs).
Software engineer, Lucas Ballard, claimed in a blog post that the changes to Google Chrome, Search and ads would help to shield users from “nefarious downloads.”
A new Chrome warning will flash up in danger red if a user is about to visit a site that encourages downloads of unwanted software.
The notice comes on the back of Google’s move last August to enhance Chrome by including warning messages “whenever an attempt is made to trick you into downloading and installing such software.”
Google said its search pages also now incorporate capabilities designed to identify “deceptive sites” trying to tout PUPs and the like.
Finally, the web giant claimed it had recently begun taking down any online ads which lead users to sites with unwanted downloads.
Ballard added:
“If you’re a site owner, we recommend that you register your site with Google Webmaster Tools. This will help you stay informed when we find something on your site that leads people to download unwanted software, and will provide you with helpful tips to resolve such issues.”
PUPs have been a problem for many years, although they recently burst into the headlines thanks to revelations about Superfish – a piece of adware pre-installed onto several laptop models from Lenovo.
Lenovo CTO Peter Hortensius wrote an open letter to customers this week apologizing for the tactical misstep and claiming that as well as releasing an automated removal tool last Friday, Lenovo has been working with its security partners.
“Microsoft, McAfee and Symantec updated their software to automatically disable and remove this Superfish software. This means users with any of these products active will be automatically protected. We thank them for their quick response,” he explained.
“Together, these actions mean all new products already in inventory will be protected. Shortly after the system is first powered-on the AV program will initiate a scan and then remove Superfish from the system.”
The McAfee Labs Threats Report: February 2015 released this week warned of increasingly aggressive PUPs which change system settings and lift personal information covertly.
Unwanted programs were detected on 91 million systems each day in Q4 2014, the report claimed.