Google now protects Gmail accounts from malicious extensions

With Gmail being so universally popular, it’s no surprise there are some malicious pieces of software that try to interfere with the platform. To help prevent this from happening, Gmail is now adding support for Content Security Policy (CSP). CSP is meant to stop malicious extensions from loading suspicious code that may mess with your Gmail session or jeopardize your email’s security. Google notes that this has happened with Chrome extensions in particular, and hence suggests you install the latest updates to your extensions on the Chrome Web Store to keep yourself safe.

Google today revealed a new feature for Gmail that should help to increase inbox security. Newly added support for Content Security Policy (CSP) keeps Gmail extensions in check to ensure that none are malicious or try to interfere with your Gmail session. It’s essentially server-side malware protection for Gmail extensions, and this is just the latest move from Google that aims to increase inbox security. Email security is of interest to everyone online, but it’s something that is particularly important to business and enterprise users — groups Google is keen to keep happy. Content Security Policy serves as a means of intercepting unsafe code, stopping in its tracks before it has chance to cause any damage or gain access to personal information. Introducing the security feature, Google’s Danesh Irani said: “Most popular (and well-behaved) extensions have already been updated to work with the CSP standard, but if you happen to have any trouble with an extension, try installing its latest version from your browser’s web store (for example, the Chrome Web Store for Chrome users).”