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Google Working To Block Insecure HTTP Downloads In Chrome

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Since HTTPS has grown more widespread on the internet, Google Chrome is planning to roll out a security feature that will restrict “insecure” HTTP downloads.

Whilst it used to be the case in that only privacy-sensitive websites, such as banks, required HTTPS encryption, it has now proficiently become the standard, particularly as even more online sites manage our data regularly. Google has been planning to add new security features to Chrome in recent years to promote the use of HTTPS connections anywhere and everywhere possible.

HTTP Downloads
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Most prominently, any previous HTTP website is now marked as “Not Secure” in the address bar. Chrome also prevents websites that are secured from using insecure web forms and sometimes provides non-secure installs by default. This mix of safe and unsafe elements is referred to as mixed content.

A while back, the company added an “Always use secure connections” option to Chrome’s security settings. Allowing this directs Chrome to “upgrade” to the HTTPS mode of websites if you happen to navigate toward the unprotected version by accident. If a protected version is not accessible, an on-screen warning appears, asking if you want to proceed.

Google, a renowned search engine technology-focused firm, is planning to broaden that option to protect Chrome visitors from all possibly insecure HTTP downloads, based on a new code refactoring and affiliated explainer. This goes over and above the existing mixed data download protective measures by preventing downloads from any connection, regardless of whether it is affiliated with an unprotected website.

For instance, if you tap on an HTTPS download link and it takes you to an unprotected HTTP server then before finally connecting to an HTTPS server, Google Chrome will flag the download as unsafe. Likewise, if you’re visiting a website that’s only accessible via HTTP, Chrome will block any installs from that site.

Even so, as with Chrome’s other methods of preventing unprotected websites and installs, you will be able to get around the block. In this sense, it serves more as a loud alert to make sure you understand exactly what you’re doing than it is to truly stop users from possibly dangerous areas of the internet.

This upgrade feature to inhibit unprotected HTTP downloads will be sealed behind a Chrome flag at first. However, it is intended that it will be available shortly as a portion of the “Always use secure connections” toggle.

Because the feature is still in development, it is unlikely to be available for widespread testing until Chrome 111, which is scheduled to be released in March 2023, with a full launch following later in the year.

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Google Chrome rolls out memory and power-saving modes

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Google Chrome browser has long been wracked by memory system-sucking problems, particularly when numerous tabs are open, however, the second most visited browser received an upgrade today to optimize device battery power and storage using both.

Google Chrome
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Google Chrome’s latest desktop release will include two additional new performance settings which are Memory Saver and Energy Saver. Google has confirmed that when they’re used, Chrome will take up to 30 percent less memory and eventually expand a device’s battery life when it’s running low.

“We’ll be rolling out both Memory Saver and Energy Saver modes over the next several weeks globally for Windows, macOS and ChromeOS,” Mark Chang, group product manager for Chrome, wrote in a company blog.

Source: computerworld.com

When the latest features are released, they would then run in the background until users turn them off physically or mark important websites to exclude them from Memory Saver.

Read More: Google to shut down Duplex AI for web

The Memory Savor control is hidden beneath the burger menu in the top right corner of the Chrome browser window.

Chrome’s excessive use of system memory has previously limited the amount of memory available to other programs that run on a computer or a mobile device. The issues even caused Chrome to struggle to cache information for fast access, effectively negating the use of RAM in the first place.

“From the beginning, we designed Chrome for speed. But performance is more than just delivering a fast browsing experience,” Chang wrote.

Source: computerworld.com

Because Google Chrome sandboxes browser processes, a viewer who starts Chrome with the Google search box then ends up with two Chrome processes running, each requiring its memory.

“Add another tab and you get three,” Jerry Hildenbrand, a senior editor at AndroidCentral wrote in a post last year. “Add the 50 or so tabs you end up the opening by the end of the night and you have 51, each running semi-independently from the other and each taking up system resources. That’s only the beginning. Each extension starts another process. Chrome does some aggressive preloading of web pages so your internet browsing feels nice and snappy.”

Source: computerworld.com

Chrome consumes megabytes of memory as a result of the issue.

Furthermore, Chrome’s new Energy Saver mode is intended to conserve battery power by restricting background activity and visual effects on websites that contain animations and videos. According to Google, the Energy Saver mode starts when a device’s battery reaches 20 percent capacity.

Microsoft Edge will be Soon Replaced by a Chromium-powered Web Browser

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Three years ago, the software giant Microsoft introduced its Edge browser, in order to replace its own old Internet Explorer and also, give a competition to the Chromium Browser from Google. Though the design and appearance of the browser had an impressive impact on its user, its browser engine (EdgeHTML) could not match the level of the Chromium-based browsers.

Now, after three years, Microsoft has given up on the Edge browser, and currently, it is working on a new chromium based browser that is codenamed Anaheim. The Edge browser was developed in 2015, especially for the users of Windows 10, and also, as an alternative to Chrome, Firefox, and other. But now, the new Anaheim browser is going to replace the Edge browser as it has been facing some compatibility issues, and has brought Microsoft under a lot of businesses and consumers pressure for the improvements.

The new browser from Microsoft will use the browser engine Blink from Google, which is used to interpret the website coding to display it on the screen. As soon as the browser is launched successfully, the developers will be more happy, as the testing work will be reduced to an extent. Microsoft had tried hard to encourage Windows users to adopt Edge as their default browser, but failed most of the time, because of the availability of more popular browsers like Chrome and Firefox.

Maybe because of the popularity of Google Chrome, Microsoft has decided to develop its new browser on the same Chromium technology. There have been no official comments on the matter from Microsoft. But considering the reports from the Windows Central, it is estimated that Microsft will announce the browser in the coming week, and it may be out in the early half of next year.

Mozilla & Chrome Supports the Latest Transport Layer Security 1.3

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It has been more than eight years, when the last version of TLS, i.e. TLS 1.2, was updated. TLS stands for Transport Layer Protocol and, is responsible for secure communication between web browser and the server. It took a long time for Internet Engineering Task Force to develop this new encryption protocol update, TLS 1.3. Late but nevertheless, it has come with high-security features and enhanced performance. It uses symmetric cryptography with faster the encrypted connections. Although it is a successor of TLS 1.2, it is loaded with more features.

1) Full Handshake Signature: The TLS 1.2 included a multi-steps communication thread added with renegotiations, that was completed in an average of 300ms. In the latest updated TLS 1.3, the data transmitted by the client to the server comprises the supported cypher, guesses key agreement protocol, key share and sent in one go, at which the server responds by negotiating the security settings, saving the number of steps in the communication thread making the communication faster.

2) Downgrade protection: The earlier version of TLS failed in the case of security as it came to be vulnerable to the downgrade attacks. A downgrade attack includes a middle-person in the client-server communication, who uses the weakest cypher supported by both parties to hack the data. In the TLS 1.3, the server automatically provides a key in the handshake process, the client or the middle-person has no authority to use any older forms of encryption.

Along with the speed and enhanced security features added to the TLS 1.3, it has eliminated a few features that were included in the TLS 1.2, like Static RSA handshake, Compression, Renegotiation, etc. Also, it has been already updated to a few famous browsers like Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. Even Facebook has already been using it for quite a sometime now.

Security is a must for the data sharing online. The TLS 1.3 claims to give the highest security for the client-server communication, avoiding any kind of vulnerability to the various exploits like SLOTH, Lucky 13, POODLE, CRIME, etc. The TLS 1.3 has been a bit late but is going to last more than 20 years due to its high-security measures and speed.

Sundar Pichai – The CEO Of Google

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World’s biggest tech giants surprised people across the globe when they appointed an Indian to hold the highest position in their company. First Microsoft, and then Google chose the most qualified candidate for the role of CEO of their respective companies. To helm, the highest position in world’s biggest technology giants is a herculean task and needs a dedicated, calm, and experienced person. Google found its perfect candidate in India born Sundar Pichai, who was working in the company for many years and served on many important positions.

Early Life

Born on 12th July 1972, in a middle-class family in Madurai, Chennai, India, Sundararajan Pichai’s father Regunahta Pichai, worked as a Senior Electrical Engineer for British Conglomerate General Electric Company and his mother worked as a stenographer before she conceived any children. Belonging to a middle-class family Sundar never had the privilege to watch television or travel in a car. At the age of 12, he was introduced to a fascinating technology called a landline phone.

Sundar Pichai was naturally good at remembering, especially numbers. He completed his high school from Jawahar Vidyalaya, situated at Ashok Nagar, and then went to Vana Vani School in Chennai, to pursue his class 12 education. Further, Pichai advanced to one of the prominent engineering institutes in India – Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. He graduated in Metallurgical Engineering and didn’t stop just there.

Sundar Pichai
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He further went abroad at Stanford University, to pursue his Masters in Material Sciences and Engineering. After completing his MS, Pichai thought of pursuing PhD in Material Sciences and Semiconductor physics, but instead, he joined a company called Applied Materials, based in Silicon Valley, as an Engineer and Product Manager.

Soon, he quit his job at Applied Materials to join MBA program, at the University of Pennsylvania in 2002. After successfully earning his MBA, he joined McKinsey & Company as a Management Consultant. This was the point where a single decision changed his life forever.

Pichai at Google

After quitting McKinsey & Company, Pichai joined Google in 2004. Initially, he worked on the product management for a range of products, including Toolbar. Pichai played a prominent role in the success of Google Drive. His phenomenal work on Google’s Toolbar, fast-paced his growth in the company. After its launch, Google noticed how Toolbar proved efficient and increased the user searches. This led Google to launch their own browser Google Chrome in 2008. He was also involved in the development of apps like Gmail and Google Maps.

The success of Google Chrome brought Pichai into the spotlight. Chrome quickly became a favourite browser and surpassed its competitors, Internet Explorer and Firefox. Chrome controls more than 45% market share today and has directed everyone’s attention on Sundar Pichai. Following the success of Chrome, Pichai was then promoted to Vice President of Product Development the same year.

Pichai announced a new video codec developed by Google, called VP8 and a new video format WebM, which consists of different video, audio streams, and text tracks. In 2012, he was promoted to Senior Vice President of Chrome and apps.

A year later, he replaced Andy Rubin, to manage all Android related products. He developed a new project called Android One, which aimed towards offering affordable smartphones all across the globe. They launched the Android mobile operating system, on which every smartphone works today.

In 2014, Pichai got promoted to Head of Products. With each promotion, his tasks at the company just got bigger and bigger. Under the Head of Products position, he was responsible to oversee day-to-day operations of Google’s every big product, and the upcoming ones, like Google Photos, and Google Now.

The Leap into the Big League

Sundar Pichai was becoming a well-known face not just in the company, but in the whole Silicon Valley. His leadership qualities and diplomatic nature helped him smoothly close huge deals with the competitors.

His excellent track record came into notice of several other giants in the valley. He was approached to become Vice President of Products at Twitter and was also being considered for the position of CEO of Twitter. Another tech giant Microsoft was also considering Pichai to fill in the shoes of Steve Ballmer, who was retiring from the CEO position.

But, it was the time when Google’s new company Alphabet Inc. was on the way to be launched. As Larry Page resigned as the CEO of Google to take the responsibility of Alphabet, Pichai was the best option as Page’s successor.

And, in 2015, Sundar Pichai was announced as the new CEO of Google.

Personal Life

Pichai married Anjali, his college time girlfriend, and lives in Brooklyn, New York. He is the citizen of US and stays there with his wife and two children.