Update Google Chrome Now.
With security vulnerabilities already confirmed for billions of Android users along with an ongoing and hard-to-detect cyberattack, Gmail users warned do not click and Google refusing to fix a reported vulnerability, 2025 has got off to a shocking start. Things can, as they say, only get better. But for now, enjoy the security ride as Google has confirmed an emergency Chrome browser update addressing a solitary but dangerous and high-rated issue. Here’s what you need to know.
Google Chrome 131 Security Update
Google has confirmed that the Chrome web browser, across all platforms except iOS, has been found to be vulnerable to a high-rated security issue, although the full details are being restricted until a majority of users have been able to update their apps as a matter of some urgency.
The single vulnerability, CVE-2025-0291, is known to be something called a type confusion impacting the open-source V8 Javascript engine that powers Chrome and other Chromium-based web browsers. So serious is the issue that the security researcher who disclosed it, known only as Popax21, has been awarded a whopping $55,000 bug bounty as a result.
Mitre describes a type confusion vulnerability, also known as common weakness enumeration 843, as occurring when a resource such as a pointer or object is accessed by a resource using an incompatible type. “This could trigger logical errors,” Mitre said, “because the resource does not have expected properties.” The consequential danger is that, under certain circumstances, this could lead to possible code execution and all that it brings to the hacking party.
How To Update Google Chrome Immediately
Google said that the update to version 131.0.6778.264/.265 for Windows, Mac, 131.0.6778.264 for Linux and 131.0.6778.260 for Android will commence rolling out in the coming days and weeks. I would highly recommend that you kickstart that process yourself to ensure your browser is updated and protected from the CVE-2025-0291 threat. Although Google will automatically update the Chrome browser in due course, this is how to do it yourself and activate the update properly.
Head for the Help|About option in your Google Chrome menu to kickstart an automatic security update download. Restart your Google Chrome browser after the update has been installed, or it will not activate, and you will still be vulnerable to attack.
Hit that relaunch button now.