14 DAY TRIAL // Google has announced a new security feature update coming to Chrome browser in future versions, all of them aimed at unwanted redirects that are triggered when loading certain websites.
The update will comprise three feature updates and will come gradually to users in different versions planned for the next few months.
First and foremost, the traditional redirects happening on a website for no clear reason will be blocked starting with Chrome 64, with the browser to display an infobar making the user aware of the restriction. The bar provides options to allow the redirect or ignore the message should it was triggered by a third-party iframe.
Then, Google Chrome 65 will come with a second security feature aimed at websites opening links in new tabs, but at the same time redirecting the currently active tab to a different page.
Google says this is the way some websites are getting around its own pop-up blocker, so starting with version 65, Chrome will display the same infobar, letting users load the page that the link points to but without having the active tab redirecting to a different page.
Blocking links disguised as buttons
And last but not least, Google Chrome will block redirects caused by links disguised by play or download buttons and other site controls.
“Starting in early January Chrome's pop-up blocker will prevent sites with these types of abusive experiences from opening new windows or tabs. To help site owners prepare for this change, today we're also launching the Abusive Experiences Report alongside other similar reports in the Google Search Console,” Google announces today.
Google Chrome is currently the world’s leading browser on PCs with a share of nearly 60 percent, while all of its rivals are far behind despite the aggressive push in some cases, as it happened with Microsoft’s Edge. The default Windows 10 browser is somewhere around 5 percent market share right now and there’s little chance to see it becoming an alternative to Google Chrome anytime soon.