Browser Security

Chrome 148 Quietly Downloads a 4GB AI Model – Here’s How to Check and Stop It A quiet change in Chrome 148 has caught the attention of privacy-conscious users: the browser is downloading an AI model roughly 4GB in size without an explicit prompt. Google has acknowledged the feature and explained its purpose, but many users are understandably concerned about the impact on bandwidth, storage, and privacy. Here’s what’s actually happening, what Google says, and—most importantly—how to take control. ...

How to Spot and Remove Malicious Chrome Extensions That Steal Your Data You install a Chrome extension to make your life easier—a grammar checker, a coupon finder, or a tab manager. It works fine for weeks. Then one day you notice odd pop‑ups, a new toolbar button you didn’t add, or your account gets compromised. ...

Chrome’s Silent 4GB AI Download: What It Is and How to Stop It If you noticed your Chrome browser using up a few extra gigabytes of disk space recently, you are not alone. Users of Chrome version 148 on desktop (and possibly Android) have discovered that the browser automatically downloaded an AI model of about 4 GB without asking. Google has since confirmed the download and explained its purpose. Here is what you need to know and, more importantly, how to manage or disable it if you prefer to keep your data and storage under your own control. ...

Chrome Deleted Its Privacy Promise for On-Device AI – Here’s What You Can Do If you’ve been relying on Chrome’s “on-device AI” features thinking they keep your data away from Google’s servers, you might want to reconsider. In early May 2026, Google removed a key line from its support pages that had previously promised: “On-device AI does not send data to Google servers.” The change was first reported by Decrypt and later confirmed by GIGAZINE. At the same time, users discovered that Chrome was silently downloading a 4 GB AI model that reappears even after deletion. ...

Chrome Drops Privacy Promise for On-Device AI: What It Means for Your Data If you use Google Chrome, you may have noticed it recently downloaded a large AI model in the background. That alone raised eyebrows, but a more troubling detail has since come to light: Chrome quietly deleted a line from its privacy page that claimed its on-device AI features do not send data to Google’s servers. This article explains what changed, what it means for your privacy, and what you can do about it. ...

Chrome quietly deleted its own privacy promise for on-device AI — here’s how to stop it If you use Chrome and care about privacy, you might want to check what Google has quietly changed under the hood. Recent reporting from Decrypt and Yahoo Tech has revealed that Chrome removed a long-standing privacy promise that kept on-device AI from sending data to Google. At the same time, the browser has been silently downloading a 4 GB AI model that reappears even after you delete it. Here’s what happened, why it matters, and what you can do about it. ...

Is That Chrome Extension Safe? How ‘Productivity’ Tools Can Turn Into Malware You probably have a handful of Chrome extensions installed—one for password management, another for grammar checking, maybe a coupon finder or a note-taking side panel. They’re convenient, lightweight, and often free. But over the past few years, attackers have quietly turned this convenience into a serious liability. A growing number of extensions that appear to be harmless productivity aids are being used as backdoors to steal data, inject ads, or install further malware on both personal and corporate devices. ...

Are Your Chrome Extensions Safe? A Practical Guide to Avoiding Malicious Add-Ons Introduction Browser extensions are small but powerful. They can block ads, manage passwords, take notes, or streamline your workflow. But that same power is also what makes them attractive to attackers. Malicious Chrome extensions—often disguised as productivity tools—have become a reliable way to spy on browsing activity, steal login credentials, and even slip past corporate firewalls. Recent investigations show that these add-ons are now being used in sophisticated attacks that start inside the browser. ...

Chrome Extensions Turned Attack Vectors: What to Do Right Now Even useful browser extensions can become a hidden threat. Recent reports from Security Boulevard and other security outlets describe a campaign in which seemingly legitimate productivity extensions for Chrome were used as backdoors to infiltrate enterprise systems. The attack relied on a supply-chain compromise—attackers injected malicious code into extensions that appeared normal, then distributed them through official channels. If you use Chrome at work or even at home, understanding how this happened and what you can do about it is worth a few minutes of your time. ...

Is That Chrome Extension Safe? How a ‘Productivity Tool’ Could Be Spying on You You download a Chrome extension to help manage tabs, take screenshots, or track your time. It has good ratings, looks legitimate, and does what it promises. Weeks or months later, an update quietly adds extra permissions, and your browsing data, passwords, or even emails start flowing to a server you never authorised. This is not a hypothetical scenario. Recent investigations have uncovered a wave of extension-based attacks that initially target enterprises, but the same techniques are now being used against everyday users. ...