Belgian security regulator CCB has introduced Safeonweb, a Chrome extension that helps users detect rogue websites.
The Center for Cybersecurity in Belgium will soon start a new awareness campaign, going by the slogan ‘Phishing, ‘t is in the details’. This campaign should make Belgian Internet users more alert to possible phishing practices. Users are reminded to always check a URL before clicking.
Cybercriminals are getting savvier and manage to take an increasing amount of money from their Belgian victims. In 2022, this amounted to 40 million euros, compared to 25 million euros in 2021.
Part of the campaign is the Chrome extension Safeonweb. This extension should warn users of the Google browser about rogue websites appearing on it. Safeonweb assesses websites on a number of criteria whether they are safe. One indicator is not only the owner of the website, but also the certificate issuer.
Color codes
The Safeonweb extension colour codes websites based on these criteria. Green indicates that the website in question is safe and thus (personal) data can be shared without problems.
An orange color indicates that the website is not necessarily to be distrusted, but that it’s unknown who the owner of the website is. For data sharing, this means users should think carefully before they share information, according to the developers. Red indicates that a website is known to be unsafe and thus no data should be shared.
Conversely, at a later stage, it should also be possible for companies and institutions to submit their websites to the CCB and thus receive the green light. This will prevent their sites from being spammed or blocked.
The beta version of the Safeonweb extension is now available in the Chrome Web Store. Whether it will be developed for other browsers is unknown.
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