Google to flag ‘repeat offenders’ with Safe Browsing

Google has had a ‘Safe Browsing’ option for its search engine for some time now and while it does flag potentially dangerous sites with malware, right now there are ways to circumvent being flagged. Some malicious sites will cease bad practices temporarily, wait for Google to remove the unsafe warnings and then return to shoving malware and phishing scams to unsuspecting searchers. This loophole is quite dangerous but Google has plans to finally close it.

This week, Google revealed that it would begin flagging sites as ‘repeat offenders’ with safe browsing and those site owners will not be able to appeal these warnings for at least 30 days.

Image Source: Google.

Sites that get hacked will not be placed in the repeat offender category, instead, Google will be targeting sites that “purposefully post harmful content”. You will still be able to get to an unsafe site but with Google’s warnings popping up first, it should push a lot of people away from accessing malware-ridden sites.

KitGuru Says: Given how many sites could potentially circumvent being flagged by safe browsing, it is good to see Google implementing this new policy. Hopefully, it reduces risks to home users.