Search firm Google is to provide users of its analytical software with new tools to prevent the spread of malware.
The company’s Safe Browsing feature is already built into Google Webmaster Tools, where it will alert the site administrator should something suspicious be detected on their website. This includes if it appears that the page has been hacked, which could lead to problems like malware and phishing attacks if people click onto the site from Google.
However, Safe Browsing protection has now been extended to Google Analytics, which will mean that users will not have to have both applications installed in order to receive notifications about potential digital hazards.
As with Webmaster Tools, Analytics users will be sent an alert should the feature detect any issues, which will allow for admins to take immediate action. Without doing so, the owners of commercial websites could see their customers’ computers becoming infected with spyware, leading them to distrust the company in the future.
On an infected site, traffic could also be directed away from the actual page, which would make all of its owner’s search engine optimisation (SEO) efforts worthless.
This move comes at a time when Google is introducing a number of features to help protect people using its services. This includes recently enabling prompts to come up when a user tries to access a site that may try to cause an unwanted download, with other tools expected to be added in the near future.
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