[Blog](/blog) Show links Resources [Blog](/blog) [Breaches](/breaches) [eBooks, reports, & more](/resources) [Events](/events) [News](/news) [Risks and Vulnerabilities](/category/risks-and-vulnerabilities) Show links Categories [Attack Surface Management](/category/attack-surface-management) [Company News](/category/company-news) [Compliance and Regulations](/category/compliance-and-regulations) [Cybersecurity](/category/cybersecurity) [Data Breaches](/category/data-breaches) [DevOps](/category/devops) [Human Cyber Risk](/category/human-cyber-risk) [Risks and Vulnerabilities](/category/risks-and-vulnerabilities) [Third-Party Risk Management](/category/third-party-risk-management) [Vendor Risk Management](/category/vendor-risk-management) [How to Resolve Google Safe Browsing Risks](/blog/google-safe-browsing) Publish date July 4, 2025 {x} minute read # How to Resolve Google Safe Browsing Risks [Get a demo](/contact-sales) [Free trial](/demo) [Download the PDF guide](#) [Free trial](/demo) Written by [Caitlin Postal](/team/caitlin-postal) Technical Writer Reviewed by Table of contents Free resource ### [Download now](#) Google Safe Browsing is a set of policies to help users remain protected and aware of potential security threats when using Google products. Google has offered Safe Browsing protections since 2005, and most users are familiar with the cautionary notice that precedes potentially dangerous websites. This article provides an overview of Google Safe Browsing and why it matters for cybersecurity, as well as cybersecurity risks that website administrators can remedy if Safe Browsing protections flag concerns for your website. ## What is Google Safe Browsing? Google Safe Browsing is a set of protections to defend internet users from online threats. Safe Browsing policies notify users about [malware](https://www.upguard.com/blog/malware) hosted on a website, unwanted software, malicious downloadable executables, and sites known for [social engineering](https://www.upguard.com/blog/social-engineering) and [phishing](https://www.upguard.com/blog/phishing). Deceptive sites and unwanted software can lead to [data leaks](https://www.upguard.com/blog/data-leak) and negative impact on your device's computing power. The Safe Browsing services are available across five of Google's product areas: * Google Chrome and Chromium-based browsers such as Mozilla Firefox, Safari, and Brave * Android mobile devices and Google Play applications for smartphones (Android and iOS) * Google Search * Google Ads * Gmail email security These policies are available by default when using Google services, but individual users can also set up the Enhanced Safe Browsing protocol for their personal Google account or Chrome-based web browsers if they wish to benefit from tailored protections and additional checks. Most internet users will recognize the Safe Browsing warning issued when Google Safe Browsing identifies a harmful site. These warnings can appear both when visiting a harmful website and when a potentially harmful site appears in Google Search results. Users can then make a more informed decision about whether they wish to access the site anyway. The warning also appears in the URL address bar where users might otherwise receive the HTTPS padlock icon. Google offers two methods (one commercial and one non-commercial) for web developers to work with Safe Browsing policies. The Web Risk API empowers developers to build commercial applications in Google Cloud that can check URLs against the list of unsafe resources. The Safe Browsing API is available for non-commercial purposes. Google Safe Browsing protects over five billion devices with automated warning notifications for users as they navigate the web. If a site is hacked, then Google Safe Browsing will also notify the website owner of the attack so they can run diagnostics to remedy issues. This information is available in the Webmaster Tools interface for sites registered with Google. ## Google Safe Browsing Risk Findings You can also use automated tools like [UpGuard Breach Risk](https://www.upguard.com/product/breach-risk) that integrate with Google's APIs to pair the data from Safe Browsing checks with other cybersecurity threat identification. Breach Risk refers to the Google Safe Browsing list of potentially dangerous sites to inform website administrators of the following risk findings as each relates to the primarily risk identification performed by Safe Browsing protections: * **Suspected phishing page** * **Suspected malware provider** * **Suspected of unwanted software** A **Suspected phishing page** finding means the website has been identified with suspicious activity that may lead to a social engineering attack. If a domain is flagged for suspected phishing, it means that someone is sending emails from that domain and the recipients have reported the emails as phishing attempts. If you receive a **Suspected malware provider** finding, then your website appears on the Safe Browsing list of sites that distribute malware. A site flagged for malicious file distribution does not comply with software guidelines or other suspicious activity on the domain has been reported by users. The **Suspected of unwanted software** finding indicates that the website appears on the list of sites distributing unwanted software. Similar to malware distribution, unwanted software negatively affects the user's experience through deceptive or unexpected means. Though it is less harmful than malware, unwanted software is still a problem to be remedied by the website administrator during any website clean-up tasks. If your website returns any of these findings, take action to protect users and stop unauthorized behavior by malicious actors. ## How to Resolve Safe Browsing Risks If you have received one of the Safe Browsing risk findings, you need to resolve the security issue that has identified your website as an unsafe site and submit a Security Issues report directly with Google through your Search Console account. For proactive maintenance, ensure that your domain, web resources, and any downloadable software adheres to the [Unwanted Software Policy](https://www.google.com/about/unwanted-software-policy.html) and [malware guidelines](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/monitor-debug/security/malware) outlined in Google's developers portal. Maintaining compliance with these policies limits the possibility that your website could be used for nefarious purposes by bad actors. Follow recommended practices for security, such as installing [SSL/TLS certificates](https://www.upguard.com/blog/ssl-certificate) to ensure [HTTPS](https://www.upguard.com/blog/what-is-https) connections, strengthening [weak or insecure SSL](https://www.upguard.com/blog/weak-ssl), and requiring [HTTPS Strict Transport Policy](https://www.upguard.com/blog/hsts-risks) for all connections. Protect user information and [sensitive data](https://www.upguard.com/blog/sensitive-data), and provide transparency to end users regarding your data collection and transmission practices. ### How UpGuard Can Help [UpGuard Breach Risk](https://www.upguard.com/product/breach-risk) provides continuous monitoring for your external attack surface with automated, non-intrusive scanning. Current UpGuard users with the Breach Risk feature can [log in and access their Risk Profile](https://cyber-risk.upguard.com/risk_profile) to search for the Safe Browsing risk findings among their assets. UpGuard also provides notifications to affirm that you have a safe site: * **Not a suspected phishing page** * **Not a suspected malware provider** * **Not suspected of unwanted software** These findings identify whether the expected outcome matches the actual response so you remain informed that these risks are not a concern for your site. These notifications appear in your [Risk Profile](https://help.upguard.com/en/articles/4491787-what-is-your-risk-profile). If you're not a current UpGuard user and you want to run an automated scan of your assets with Breach Risk, [sign up for a trial](https://www.upguard.com/demo). Breach Risk automation will help you stay updated with real-time insights to your external assets. Free resource ### [Download now](#) ## Related posts Learn more about the latest issues in cybersecurity. Risks and Vulnerabilities #### [25 Security Vulnerabilities That Have Defined the 2020s (Thus Far)](/blog/top-25-security-vulnerabilities-of-the-2020s) From Log4j to SolarWinds, discover the 25 critical security vulnerabilities that have reshaped cybersecurity thus far in the 2020s. [](/team/nicholas-sollitto) [Nicholas Sollitto](#) May 28, 2026 Risks and Vulnerabilities #### [ServiceNow Vulnerabilities: CVE-2024-4789 and CVE-2024-5217](/blog/servicenow-vulnerabilities) Learn about two critical vulnerabilities affecting the ServiceNow platform (CVE-2024-4789 and CVE-2024-5217) and how UpGuard can help. [](/team/nicholas-sollitto) [Nicholas Sollitto](#) January 16, 2025 Risks and Vulnerabilities #### [PHP2Shell: A Clear Explanation and Response Framework](/blog/php2shell-a-clear-explanation-and-response-framework) PHP2Shell (CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619) lets unauthenticated attackers run code on PHP servers. Learn who’s affected and how to respond. [](/team/upguard) [UpGuard Team](#) October 26, 2026 Risks and Vulnerabilities #### [Everything Everywhere: Systemic Data Exposure in Supabase Apps](/blog/everything-everywhere-systemic-data-exposure-in-supabase-apps) Supabase is a favorite of AI coding agents. It's also prone to misconfiguration. We studied more than 16,000 open databases to see what's leaking. [](/team/greg-pollock) [Greg Pollock](#) October 14, 2026 Risks and Vulnerabilities #### [Oracle Just Shipped 1,449 Security Patches in One Quarter. We Checked How Much of It Is Actually New.](/blog/oracle-just-shipped-1-449-security-patches-in-one-quarter-we-checked-how-much-of-it-is-actually-new) Oracle's July 2026 update shipped 1,449 security patches — 2.8x its all-time record. We parsed 23 quarters of advisories to find out how much is truly new. [](/team/greg-pollock) [Greg Pollock](#) July 22, 2026 Risks and Vulnerabilities #### [Data leakage risks with DBHub MCP servers](/blog/data-leakage-risks-with-dbhub-mcp-servers) UpGuard found exposed DBHub servers leaking live databases to the open internet—an early sign that MCP exposure is becoming a systemic data risk. [](/team/greg-pollock) [Greg Pollock](#) October 13, 2026 [All posts](/blog) Experience superior visibility and a simpler approach to cyber risk management [Get a demo](/contact-sales) [Free trial](/demo)