Google stated on Thursday that it will be implementing new countermeasures driven by artificial intelligence (AI) to fight frauds on Android, Chrome, and Search.
The internet company announced that it would start enhancing Safe Browsing in Chrome 137 on desktops by utilizing Gemini Nano, its on-device large language model (LLM).
“The on-device approach provides instant insight on risky websites and allows us to offer protection, even against scams that haven’t been seen before. Gemini Nano’s LLM is perfect for this use because of its ability to distill the varied, complex nature of websites, helping us adapt to new scam tactics more quickly,” the company said.
Google noted that it’s already using this AI-driven approach to tackle remote tech support scams, which often seek to trick users into parting with their personal or financial information under the pretext of a non-existent computer problem.
This works by evaluating the web pages using the LLM for potential signals that are emblematic of tech support scams, such as the use of the keyboard lock API. The security signals are then extracted and passed to Safe Browsing to determine if the page is likely a scam.
“In addition to ensuring that the LLM is only triggered sparingly and run locally on the device, we carefully manage resource consumption by considering the number of tokens used, running the process asynchronously to avoid interrupting browser activity, and implementing throttling and quota enforcement mechanisms to limit GPU usage,” Jasika Bawa, Andy Lim, and Xinghui Lu of the Google Chrome Security team said.
Google said it intends to expand this feature to detect other kinds of scams, including those related to package tracking and unpaid tolls. The feature is also expected to be rolled out to Chrome on Android later this year.
Along with the announcement, Google disclosed that it has improved its AI-powered scam detection systems to detect 20 times more fraudulent websites and block them from search results. In 2024, this will reduce schemes that mimic official resources like government services and visas by more than 70% and those that impersonate airline customer service providers by more than 80%.
Last but not least, Google announced a new warnings feature for Chrome on Android that use an on-device machine learning model to notify users of unsolicited alerts from harmful websites that try to fool them into downloading dubious software or divulging private information.
“This new feature uses on-device machine learning to detect and warn you about potentially deceptive or spammy notifications, giving you an extra level of control over the information displayed on your device,” Chrome Security’s Hannah Buonomo and Sarah Krakowiak Criel said.
“When a notification is flagged by Chrome, you’ll see the name of the site sending the notification, a message warning that the contents of the notification are potentially deceptive or spammy, and the option to either unsubscribe from the site or see the flagged content.”
A little more than two months have passed since Google introduced AI-powered fraud detection capabilities in the Android Messages app. Similar methods for identifying fraudulent calls were introduced by the business last year.
Additionally, the updates come as Google seems to be preparing an Advanced Protection feature for Android 16 that, in some respects, follows Apple’s strategy by turning off JavaScript, disabling 2G connections, and turning on several security features by default, including spam protection in messages, Android Safe Browsing, Theft Detection Lock, and Offline Device Lock.
Earlier this week, Android Authority revealed that Google has also been observed developing a tool to identify frauds that trick victims into accessing their banking applications while on the phone.
Also read:Â Viksit Workforce for a Viksit Bharat
Do Follow: The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News LinkedIn Account | The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News Facebook | The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News Youtube | The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News Twitter |The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News Whatsapp Channel | The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News Instagram
About us:
The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News is a premier platform dedicated to delivering latest news, updates, and insights from the tech industry. With its strong foundation of intellectual property and thought leadership, the platform is well-positioned to stay ahead of the curve and lead conversations about how technology shapes our world. From its early days as CIO News to its rebranding as The Mainstream on November 28, 2024, it has been expanding its global reach, targeting key markets in the Middle East & Africa, ASEAN, the USA, and the UK. The Mainstream is a vision to put technology at the center of every conversation, inspiring professionals and organizations to embrace the future of tech.
