How convenient it would be if you can know of malicious files before downloading them in your browser. Although many of the antivirus products like avast! offer HTTP scanning through which they can detect harmful files and block them from downloading, but what if you want to know whether a link can lead you to malicious file? Sure you can use online virus scanners to have the links scanned, but why copy the link and wait for it to be scanned when you can do all that on any webpage using the Security Plus extension for Chrome.
The Security Plus extension does nothing new, many extensions can scan a link or downloadable file on a webpage. But what makes Security Plus extension unique is its ability to show you the results of the scan right on the webpage without opening any other tabs or windows.
After the installation of Security Plus extension, you can check any link on any webpage for malicious presence. For this, you can right-click on any link and choose Scan file for viruses, or all kinds of malware from the context-menu.
In a short while, you would see a small notification message near the bottom of the current webpage showing you the results of the scan. The message could read “Suspicious site” or “Clean site” and so on.
If you want to view the detailed results of the scan, then you can click on the results link in the notification message that appears when you scan a link. This will open a new tab where you would be able to see the scanning results from various antivirus engines and URL scanner services.
Conclusion: The Security Plus extension uses VirusTotal API to check links for malicious nature on demand. It can tell you whether a link or file you want to download is harmful even before you try to download it without having to navigate away from the website in question.
You can get the Security Plus extension for Chrome from https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/security-plus/edkcmflbdogcbjahoblehnlonjedkmoh.