Ever had to deal with a virus on your computer or do you know someone who has gone through that ordeal? If yes, then you’re aware of how time-consuming and annoying it can be. If you’re considering the switch to the Chrome OS or if you have already gotten your Chromebook, you may still be wondering why in the world does it have no virus protection.
Microsoft has trained users to always have antivirus software running so that their computer doesn’t get infected. But do Chromebooks, and specifically the Chrome OS, have any viruses? The answer to that is the Chrome OS has zero viruses, so there’s no need to have virus protection for your Chromebook or other Google devices running on Chrome OS such as the Chromebox and Chromebase.
In the Chrome OS, Google has designed a secure system, which means it has coded the entire OS to protect itself from exploitation. However, that doesn’t mean that nothing bad can ever happen on it.
The most impressive security feature of the Chrome OS is its process isolation. When hackers are trying to exploit a webpage that you visited and use it to gain access to your sensitive information, they can’t do so because process isolation makes sure that even if one tab is compromised, the rest of the computer can’t be accessed.
Therefore, the Chrome OS doesn’t get viruses, malware or ransomware, which are the biggest online security issues faced by personal laptops today. Viruses steal your information or slow you down, malware can make your computer a zombie and slow it down, and ransomware kills your files, but the Chrome OS is immune to them because it doesn’t let any such file run or even download.
However, the security game has changed and it’s not just about viruses any longer. Spam mail and phishing emails can still be counted as a threat to any computer. If you end up clicking on any such link and if you provide the information to a phishing site, you’ll be giving away your password.
Another risk is that of malicious extensions or plug-ins. Some unscrupulous developers collect and sell information about the websites you’re visiting. Just make sure that you don’t end up installing extensions indiscriminately and check the source of the extension and the permissions it requires.
A common confusion is caused when a malicious extension gets your Chrome device to work slower and you notice weird pop-ups anywhere. It may be confused with a virus, but it’s just a malicious extension and you can easily get rid of it.
Although your Chrome device can’t get a virus, you still need to take precautions to make sure your account information isn’t stolen. You can use the incognito mode when conducting online banking as it disables all the extensions.
It’s a good thing that you don’t need virus protection for your Chromebook, but care should still be exercised to avoid phishing scams and malicious extensions to ensure maximum safety of your information.
