The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has issued a high-severity alert for users of Google Chrome on desktop devices, urging them to update their browsers immediately. The warning, detailed in the latest CERT-In Vulnerability Note CIVN-2024-0274, highlights multiple vulnerabilities in Google Chrome for desktop that, if exploited by bad actors could put users’ computers at serious risk.
According to CERT-In, these security flaws in Google’s web browser could potentially allow online attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial-of-service (DoS) condition, making it crucial for users to act swiftly. Let’s take a detailed look at what CERT-In’s note details and how it is posing risk for users.
What is the risk?
According to the CERT-In advisory, the latest vulnerabilities have been identified in Google Chrome versions prior to 128.0.6613.113/.114 for Windows, 128.0.6613.113/.114 for Mac, and 128.0.6613.113 for Linux. These flaws are categorised as high severity, which implies a significant risk of exploitation.
Cert-In notes that the highlighted vulnerabilities primarily stem from issues related to type confusion in V8, which is Google Chrome’s open-source JavaScript and WebAssembly engine, and heap buffer overflow problems.
– Type confusion occurs when the program allocates or uses a resource with incorrect types, which can lead to arbitrary code execution—a highly dangerous form of cyberattack.
– Heap buffer overflow happens when more data is written to or read from a buffer than it can hold, corrupting data, crashing the program, or allowing malicious code to run.
According to the government , attackers could exploit these vulnerabilities by sending a specially crafted request to the targeted system, which if executed, could give hackers control over the affected device.
Successful exploitation could lead to a DoS condition, which can render the system unresponsive, or, worse, allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code. This means that an attacker could potentially install malware, access sensitive data, or take complete control of the device without the user’s knowledge. Given the widespread use of Google Chrome for browsing, work, and personal tasks, the impact of these vulnerabilities could be far-reaching, and hence needs urgent attention.
What should users do?
To mitigate these risks, CERT-In has recommended that all Google Chrome users should immediately update their browsers to the latest version. Google has already released patches for these vulnerabilities, and the updated versions are 128.0.6613.113/.114 for Windows and Mac, and 128.0.6613.113 for Linux.
Hence, updating your browser not only addresses these specific vulnerabilities but also ensures that you are protected against other potential security threats that may have been discovered since your last update.
How to update Google Chrome on desktop
Here’s how you can update Google Chrome on your desktop:
– Open Google Chrome on your computer.
– Click on the three vertical dots in the top right corner of the browser to open the menu.
– Select the “Help” option and then click on “About Google Chrome.”
– Chrome will automatically check for updates and install the latest version if available.
– Once the update is complete, click on “Relaunch” to finish the installation.
In addition to updating Chrome, users are also advised to enable automatic updates. This setting will ensure that your browser always has the latest security patches without requiring manual intervention, providing an extra layer of protection against newly discovered threats.