Google Chrome Canary users can now activate experimental support for Encrypted Client Hello (ECH). ECH, also known as Secure SNI, aims to enhance the privacy of internet connections. In simple terms, ECH safeguards hostnames from being exposed to Internet Service Providers, network providers, and other entities that may eavesdrop on network traffic.
To check if ECH is enabled in your browser, you can visit Cloudflare’s Browsing Experience Security Check website.
The addition of ECH support in Google Chrome Canary signals the start of a broader implementation across most Chromium-based browsers. Although experimental flags may be removed without prior notice, it is highly likely that ECH support will eventually be integrated into Chrome Stable and other Chromium-based browsers. Mozilla has already included support for ECH in Firefox in 2021.
For Chrome Canary users interested in testing ECH, follow these steps:
- Visit chrome://settings/help to ensure you have the latest Chrome Canary version installed. Chrome automatically checks for updates and installs them. A restart is then needed to finalize the update.
- Enter chrome://flags/#encrypted-client-hello in the browser’s address bar.
- Enable the Encrypted ClientHello flag.
- Restart Google Chrome.
After the restart, Encrypted Client Hello will be activated in Chrome. You can revert the change anytime by disabling the flag using the provided steps. Verify if the feature is functioning correctly by using Cloudflare’s test page or any other test page.
Google describes the feature as follows:
“When enabled, Chrome will support Encrypted ClientHello, encrypting TLS ClientHello if the server activates the extension through the HTTPS DNS record.”
It is important to note that web servers must support the feature, which may limit its functionality on many websites currently visited using Chrome Canary. The feature is compatible with all supported operating systems including Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and Chrome OS.
Thank you for reading Ghacks. This article was originally posted on gHacks Technology News.
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