IT and Security: Google Chrome improves its security to protect users from malware attacks

Google Corp. has announced that version 17 of its Chrome browser has entered the beta channel featuring a new option of filtration of accidently downloaded malware files, whose testing took nine months. Chrome 17 is now able to analyze executable files that the user downloads including EXE and MSI, however developers hope that during 2012 this list will add new file formats.

Until now, Chrome has focused primarily on protecting against sites that exploit the user's computer without requiring any user interaction. Today, however, there are a growing number of malicious websites that try to convince the user to download and run harmful files - sometimes even claiming that those files are free anti-virus products.

Now if a file you download is known to be bad, or is hosted on a website that hosts a relatively high percentage of malicious downloads, Chrome will warn you that the file appears to be malicious and that you should discard it.

The new Chrome 17 beta version is now available as a free download for users of Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7. What is more, Chrome can now start loading some web pages in the background even before the user has finished typing the URL into the browser’s search and address bar. Prerendering reduces the time between when user hits Enter and when he sees the fully-loaded web page. In some cases, the web page appears instantly.