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Google is working on a security update that could make Chrome's Incognito and Guest modes better at identifying scam websites and other online threats. The proposed change would extend real-time Safe Browsing checks to private browsing, addressing a gap that currently leaves users relying on older threat information in certain situations.
The development was spotted in a new Chromium code change, reported by Windows Report and first highlighted by Android Authority. The feature is still under development, and Google has not announced a public rollout date.
Google Chrome already warns users before they visit websites associated with scams, phishing attempts, or harmful software. During regular browsing, the browser can check website addresses against Google's latest threat information to identify potentially dangerous pages.
However, the Incognito mode does not have the same level of real-time safety measures. In some cases, the Chrome browser uses a locally cached list of malicious sites that are updated after 30-60 minutes.
This can pose a problem as the user will be unprotected from the recently created malicious sites. According to the research from Google quoted in the paper, most of these sites last for less than 10 minutes. Therefore, there may be some risks that may come and go before the locally cached list of Chrome gets updated.
The new update will help to fix this issue by introducing real-time Safe Browsing to the Incognito and Guest modes. The feature will support Standard and Enhanced Safe Browsing settings.
Extending real-time security checks to private browsing also raises questions about user privacy. Google appears to be addressing this by changing how Chrome handles temporary security information.
Under the proposed system, temporary security information generated during Incognito sessions would remain in the device's memory rather than being saved to its storage. This is intended to prevent additional security checks from leaving persistent information on the device.
Chrome would still communicate with Google's servers to check websites for potential threats. Still, the system would include privacy protections designed to limit the information Google can access about users' browsing activity.
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The proposed Safe Browsing upgrade remains in development and is not enabled by default. Google has not confirmed when it plans to introduce the feature to Chrome users.
If implemented, the change could make private browsing safer by bringing its website protection closer to the safeguards available in regular Chrome sessions. For now, users will have to wait for further details from Google.