We are used to running antivirus scans on our computers, but that does not cover your online security. For this, Google Chrome offers a tool that allows you to perform a similar scan to protect your web browsing. See how to perform a security check in Chrome.
Launch the Google Chrome browser on your Windows 10, Mac, Chrome OS or Linux computer and click on the three-point menu button located in the upper right corner.
Go to “Settings” in the drop-down menu.
Scroll down to find the “Security check” section and click on the blue “Check now” option.
Google Chrome will start the “Security Check” test. Depending on how much browsing data you have, it can take anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes.
In this process, Google Chrome checks a total of four main modules to look for any malicious code and see if they are suitable. This will ensure that the browser application is on the latest version to protect against the latest Internet viruses and that all installed third-party extensions are harmless. It will also check whether any of your saved passwords have been compromised in a data breach and whether “Safe Browsing”, a setting that warns you about suspicious websites, is enabled.
Once the Security Check is complete, Chrome will open shortcuts to anything that needs your immediate attention, such as reviewing compromised credentials.
After following the recommended steps, you can also run Security Check again to ensure that the new security settings are active.
There is much more you can do to optimize Chrome for maximum privacy, such as enabling “Enhanced Safe Browsing”, an advanced mode that allows Google to evaluate your browsing for potential threats and suggest improvements with a focus on privacy. However, please note that when you enable the “Enhanced Safe Browsing” option, you choose to share a copy of your browsing data with Google.
RELATED: How to enable “Enhanced Safe Browsing” in Google Chrome