Microsoft will launch its Windows Defender antivirus scanner for Google Chrome this week. The software giant released a Chrome extension that includes a list of malicious URLs that will be blocked in Chrome. The extension is designed to stop malware that is loaded on PCs from malicious sites and to prevent phishing emails from being successful.
Google already offers its own protections against malicious links within Chrome, so the addition of Microsoft seems superfluous. Microsoft claims that its Windows Defender protection against phishing is 99 percent efficient, compared to 87 percent and 70 percent of Firefox. Therefore, if you are particularly concerned about malicious links, this extension will provide additional protection. Microsoft's Windows Defender Chrome extension is now available in the Chrome Web Store.