Using Google Chrome? You Need To Update It Immediately!

Reading this blog post on Google Chrome? You need to update it immediately!

Last week, Google warned owners of Windows and Mac computers to urgently update their Chrome internet browsers after learning that there was an exploit within the browser which has existed since its launch.

Although the exact details surrounding the critical security flaw have not been released to the public, the issue could allow hackers entry into computers across the globe.

Part of the reason why the specifics aren’t made public is to prevent potential hackers trying to identify similar areas of vulnerability – Google did confirm that the bug is already under attack, meaning cybercriminals are already using it to try and break into people’s computers.

Various sources suggest that the exploit enabled the ability to install malware on a computer, causing it to crash or behave strangely. This vulnerability relates to an error in the way that Chrome uses memory as part of a tool known as FileReader – this allows web apps to read the contents of files that are stored on a computer.

Even though this functionality is very useful for a variety of reasons, it’s the route that can be hacked to allow entry into personal folders and files on an individual’s computer.

So serious is this issue that Justin Schuh, Lead Security and Desktop Engineer at Google, tweeted his thoughts that users should ‘update their Chrome installs… like right, this minute’.

As always when Google finds these vulnerabilities, they have released a patch to resolve it immediately. The vulnerability is fixed in the newest version of Chrome 72.0.3626.121 so if you don’t yet have this, please do go ahead an update.

You can do this by opening a new Chrome window and then clicking on ‘about Chrome’ in the drop-down menu under ‘Chrome’. From here, this page will check what version you currently have and prompt you to update if needed.

For the safety and security of your computers and to a lesser scale your business, we recommend that you update your Google Chrome browser at the earliest opportunity.