When we first set out to design Chrome, we knew we had a unique opportunity to improve the security of the web. In addition to speed and simplicity, we’ve been adamant that security be a central tenet of everything we build. Chrome and the web have since come a long way, and we’ve been challenged to protect a complex and rapidly changing browser against the many threats that emerge on the web.

After spending tens-of-thousands of hours working on ways to make users safer on the web, we thought it might be worth sharing the Chrome security principles that guide the work that we do.

There are lots of technical details, but the fundamentals have always been simple. Security should compliment your browsing experience, not detract from it, and your browser should be secure by default -- no configuration required. No defense is ever perfect, so we rely on multiple layers of protection to help guard against single points of weakness. We support and fund the security research community in their work to identify weaknesses, and when vulnerabilities are found, we pride ourselves on patching them faster than any other browser.

These principles have served us well in protecting users while keeping Chrome super fast and easy to use. If you develop software, we hope you find them helpful in securing your own product, and if you’re a Chrome user, that they give some insight into the many ways we work to help you surf with confidence.

Posted by Justin Schuh and Travis McCoy, Chrome Security Team