SafeSurf shows you security indicators in the omnibar for post-EV safer surfing. The extension was developed for our own team members to have an easy way of checking whether or not a site belongs to us or not. After a couple of weeks, SafeSurf was quickly updated to check for EV certificates, Google Safe Browsing, and our evolving algorithm to determine the authenticity of a website. And, it's free!
What is the meaning of the omnibar indicators?
There are different icons with different meanings to be found in the omnibar:
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| The Gentlent SafeSurf Logo It's displayed when you access a browser-specific URL like a new-tab page or similar, or if the indication check was not yet completed. |
| Verified If a website provides an extended-validated certificate or is specifically trusted by our system and additionally is not marked as a threat, the site's favicon with a verification mark is shown. |
| Undetected The "undetected" mark is shown when no other indicator was triggered and means that it's a regular site not yet verified or flagged by our systems. It is also shown when a protocol scheme other than http:// or https:// is used to open a specific file or site. |
| Unknown Protocol The unknown mark is shown when the used protocol is not monitored by SafeSurf. Protocol schemes like file:// or ftp:// fall into this category. |
| Warning A warning is shown in the URL you try to open is using an insecure scheme like plain HTTP. You should be careful when entering sensitive data and check if a secure version is available. |
| Critical Warning This higher level of warning indicated an immediate threat to your privacy and/or security. It's only shown if it was previously flagged by our team, algorithm or Google Safe Browsing. You should be careful about entering this site. It's not recommended by us to continue browsing if this warning is shown. |
How to report threats or request a verified checkmark?
To report malware, virus or phishing threats, we recommend reporting the site to Google SafeBrowsing. For urgent blocking, we block a certain number of threats manually if we're contacted with a detailed description of the threat or stumble upon one.
If you want to get your domain verified on SafeSurf and meet certain requirements, you may contact us with the name of your domain and we'll look into it. Though we do not publish the requirements for getting your domain verified, we have a simple principle: If it's not obvious that your domain represents you, you'll most likely be not eligible.
SafeSurf Settings
The Gentlent SafeSurf extension supports a dark mode and a private mode. Normally the private mode is deactivated. With the private mode disabled the extension will scan the current website for threats. With the private mode activated the extension will only use the data we collected. To activate the dark mode or the private mode click on the SafeSurf icon in the omnibar and then click on the settings wheel.
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After that a window should open with the settings of SafeSurf and you can activate the dark mode and the private mode with the two sliders.
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Any feedback or questions?
Feel free to reach out to us at any time of the day. We appreciate any input.