Google tests new Chrome feature for thwarting rogue plugins

A new feature that has been added to Google Canary is set to help users remove changes effected by malware that switches their homepage or injects ads into the sites their browse.

The “Restore browser settings” button will easily and quickly restore browser settings to their original defaults, and will be great for the instances when the malware in question prevents users from changing the settings.

“Online criminals have been increasing their use of malicious software that can silently hijack your browser settings. Bad guys trick you into installing and running this kind of software by bundling it with something you might want, like a free screensaver, a video plugin or—ironically—a supposed security update,” Linus Upson, Vice President of Engineering at Google, explained in a blog post.

The button is located in the “Advanced Settings” section of Chrome browser settings. If the feature works as it should and doesn’t “break” Google Canary – the browser channel designated for developers to test new features – it will be soon included in the stable version.

Upson unfortunately doesn’t mention whether the aforementioned “Restore browser settings” feature will also be able to uninstall the malware that modified them, or if it doesn’t, how they mean to prevent the malware from effecting the changes again.

He did add that the current Canary build is also actively and automatically blocking malicious downloads, adding to those blocked by the Safe Browsing program that flags suspect websites.