Google Chrome will soon start blocking insecure downloads

All the mixed content download and non-secure files coming through a secure site will be blocked

The company has announced plans to warn Chrome users about “insecure” downloads which would eventually be blocked.

The search engine giant wrote on its blog post, “Today we’re announcing that Chrome will gradually ensure that secure (HTTPS) pages only download secure files,” Joe DeBlasio of the Chrome security team.

“Insecurely-downloaded files are a risk to users’ security and privacy. For instance, insecurely-downloaded programs can be swapped out for malware by attackers, and eavesdroppers can read users."

Chrome 82, which is scheduled to be released in April, warned users if they are about to download the mixed content executable from a secure website.

PHOTO: Google

 

Once the new version of Chrome is released, executable downloads will be blocked and the warning will be applied to archive files.

All the mixed content download and non-secure files coming through a secure page will be blocked to start with.

The release date is set for October, the chart below highlights the Chrome team’s current plan;

PHOTO: Google

"In the future, we expect to further restrict insecure downloads in Chrome. We encourage developers to fully migrate to HTTPS to avoid future restrictions and fully protect their users," Google wrote on the blog.

However, Google will delay rollout for Android and iOS users by one release.

"Mobile platforms have better native protection against malicious files, and this delay will give developers a head-start towards updating their sites before impacting mobile users."