Google’s Chrome Web browser will now warn you before you visit a site that encourages you to download nefarious programs that make undesirable changes to your computer or interfere with your online experience.

When you’re about to visit one of these questionable sites, you’ll see a red warning that “The site ahead contains harmful programs.”

The warning notes that attackers may attempt to trick you into installing programs that harm your browsing experience by changing your homepage or showing extra ads on the sites you visit, for instance.

The new precautions also extend to Google search and ads. Search now incorporates signals that identify deceptive sites, and Google recently began disabling ads that lead to sites with unwanted software.

Site owners can register with Google Webmaster Tools to be notified when the Web giant finds something on their site that leads people to download unwanted software. In this event, Google will offer up tips to help them resolve the problem.

“We’re constantly working to keep people safe across the Web,” Google Software Engineer Lucas Ballard wrote in a blog post(Opens in a new window) Monday.

Google has had Safe Browsing malware warnings in place since 2011, but it added automatic malware blocking in November. If you see a malicious file warning on websites going forward, “you can click ‘Dismiss’ knowing that Chrome is working to keep you safe,” Google said last year.

The new protections come after last week’s discovery that new Lenovo PCs shipped between September and December came pre-installed with adware known as Superfish, which uses a man-in-the-middle attack to insert ads into Web browsers. Not surprisingly, the controversy has resulted in a lawsuit.

Lenovo is no longer adding Superfish to its consumer PCs, but those who purchased one during the holiday season might have it on their machine. For more, check out How to Remove Superfish From Your Lenovo PC.

Also see PCMag’s roundup of Chrome tips in the slideshow above.