Chrome Scans for Unwanted Software

Below is excerpt from an article explaining Chrome's scan for unwanted software.

Interested to hear opinions on whether this is actually spyware. In another thread, a forum member stated the Chrome Cleanup Tool can run without being activated. How often does software effect Chrome, rarely ?

I like Chrome and don't normally wear a tin foil hat, but I may start.

Unwanted software protectionThe Windows version of Chrome is able to detect and remove certain types of software that violate Google's Unwanted Software Policy. If left in your system, this software may perform unwanted actions, such as changing your Chrome settings without your approval. Chrome periodically scans your device to detect potentially unwanted software.

In addition, if you have opted in to automatically report details of possible security incidents to Google, Chrome will report information about unwanted software, including relevant file metadata and system settings linked to the unwanted software found on your computer.

If you perform an unwanted software check on your computer from the Settings page, Chrome reports information about unwanted software and your system. System information includes metadata about programs installed or running on your system that could be associated with harmful software, such as: services and processes, scheduled tasks, system registry values commonly used by malicious software, Windows proxy settings, and software modules loaded into Chrome or the network stack. You can opt out of sharing this data by deselecting the checkbox next to "Report details to Google" before starting the scan.

If unwanted software is detected, Chrome will offer you an option to remove the software by using the Chrome Cleanup Tool. The Chrome Cleanup Tool also reports information about unwanted software and your system to Google, and again you can opt out of sharing this data by deselecting the checkbox next to "Report details to Google" before starting the cleanup.

This data is used for the purpose of improving Google's ability to detect unwanted software and offer better protection to Chrome users. It is used in accordance with Google's Privacy Policy and is stored for up to 14 days, after which only aggregated statistics are retained.

Yes Chrome is scanning your Windows PC, but it might be a bug

If you want to turn off the reporting of the information in these scans, click the 3 dots in the top right of Chrome to access the settings menu:
Attachment 183953
scroll to the bottom and click advanced, then scroll to the bottom again to see this:
Attachment 183954
click on that and then you can toggle off the reporting:
Attachment 183955

Caledon Ken said:

Not so sure this is a bug. It is mentioned in the Norton forums, and Eset even says they are powering it.

https://www.eset.com/int/google-chrome-cleanup/




.

Thanks for the reply, Ken.

Would it be possible for the Chrome Clean Up Tool to find a software program the user was not aware that was installed by a malicious site ?

My first inclination was that I am aware of the software on my system and its credibility.

Caledon Ken said:

I would think so as it appears to be a skinny downed "AV" product.

Most folks on this forum are aware of what is on their machine and I think they understand what is going on the Internet. That said lots of people aren't and malware is everywhere. A couple of months back everyone was warning about Miners and the landscape just keeps changing.

Kind of smart for Chrome to say hey if our browser isn't right let's have a look at your machine although Defender in its own right has become quite capable.

Still would have like Chrome to announce it when it was installed and force the question "Share or No Share".

I agree 100%

This is one of the problems today with software companies. They install stuff like this without telling anyone. I wouldn't mind if they said hey we installed something to keep your pc clean, do you mind if we transmit anonymous data of the scan results. Instead they installed it, set it to report and did not say a word. Privacy is only in your head these days. No where online.