You can run Chrome with both Google’s Safe Browsing and Microsoft’s SmartScreen without any conflicts. Your protection gets doubled when you install Microsoft Defender Browser Protection Extension in Chrome browser. Microsoft has released an update to its Extension for Chromium browsers in 2023.
Microsoft Defender Browser Protection Extension for Chrome
In case you don’t know, while Google provides its Safe Browsing technology that protects users against malicious and phishing sites in Chrome, Microsoft wants to offer its SmartScreen Service that it uses in Microsoft Edge and Bing to Chrome browser through an extension called Microsoft Defender Browser Protection Extension.
Microsoft has released initial version of Extension on March 30, 2018.
While Safe Browsing in Chrome guards you against online threats, Microsoft Defender Browser Protection Extensions pick up malicious and phishing sites, Chrome may have missed. Good to have additional layer of protection.
Recently, Microsoft has decided to discontinue the extension and asked users to switch to Edge, but after hearing feedback from users, company has changed its decision and today released an update for Extension to Chrome Web Store with Performance and protection improvements.
What Microsoft Browser Protection Extension does?
Once installed in Chrome, it checks URL reputation for sites you visit by using Microsoft SmartScreen Web Service that powers Microsoft Defender.
If you try to visit a site that was reported for phishing attacks or scams or malware distribution, it takes away from that site and shows a warning page.
What’s advantage is here it protects you against malicious sites that were not included in Google’s blocking list.
What’s new in Microsoft Defender Browser Protection Extension v1.66
- The extension has been migrated to Manifest v3 from Manifest v2.
- Now works in incognito mode when enabled.
- Comes with faster performance and lower bandwidth usage.
- Includes bug fixes and introduces new Group policy controls
You can download Microsoft Defender Browser Protection Extension in Chrome, Brave, Vivaldi, and other Chromium browsers, but not in Microsoft Edge, as latter has Microsoft Defender protection integrated by default.
The extension works on Windows, Mac and LinuxOS.
What’s your take on this? Let us know in the comments below.
Final words: Microsoft Defender Browser Protection Extension for Chrome adds additional layer of security to Chrome. Today, Microsoft has released an update to its extension for Chromium browsers.
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