GOOGL Alphabet Inc

By Michael Dabaie

Alphabet Inc.'s Google (GOOG) said Advanced Protection Program users who have turned on sync in Chrome will automatically start receiving stronger protections against risky downloads, like files containing malware.

The company said in a web post that its Advanced Protection Program is its strongest level of protection for the personal Google accounts of anyone at risk of targeted attacks, such as journalists, activists, politicians and business leaders.

Advanced Protection users already benefit from malware protections beyond Gmail's standard safeguards. As a result, attackers are shifting their strategies to threaten Advanced Protection users outside of email with linked malware and "drive-by downloads" in which users unknowingly download harmful software, Google said.

Attempts to download certain risky files will now show additional warnings, or in some cases be blocked, Google said.

Write to Michael Dabaie at michael.dabaie@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 06, 2019 14:13 ET (18:13 GMT)

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