India’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has issued an urgent advisory for users of Google Chrome across multiple platforms due to critical security vulnerabilities that have been identified in the browser. The vulnerabilities, if exploited, could lead to data theft, unauthorized code execution, and compromise of user security.
Understanding the Vulnerabilities
The vulnerabilities identified by CERT-In primarily include issues like heap buffer overflow, use-after-free errors, and type confusion in various components of Google Chrome. These flaws can allow cyber attackers to execute arbitrary code on a victim’s system, bypass security measures, and gain unauthorized access to sensitive information.
Urgency of the Update
CERT-In has categorized these vulnerabilities as ‘high severity’ due to their potential impact on user security. The affected versions include Google Chrome earlier than 125.0.6422.76/.77 for Windows and Mac, and before 125.0.6422.76 for Linux. Users are strongly urged to update their browsers immediately to mitigate the risks associated with these vulnerabilities.
Steps to Update Google Chrome
To update Google Chrome to the latest version:
- Open Google Chrome.
- Click on the three vertical dots in the top right corner to access the menu.
- Go to “Help” and then select “About Google Chrome.”
- The browser will check for updates and display the current version. If an update is available, it will be downloaded automatically.
- After the update, click “Relaunch” to restart the browser with the updated version.
Additional Security Measures
Apart from updating the browser, users can enhance their security by:
- Enabling automatic updates to receive patches as soon as they are available.
- Installing security-focused browser extensions that block harmful content and manage script execution.
- Regularly clearing browsing data such as cookies and cache to minimize risks from compromised websites.
The recent security advisory from CERT-In highlights the ongoing risks posed by cyber threats and the importance of maintaining up-to-date software on all devices. By following the recommended steps to update Google Chrome and taking additional security measures, users can significantly safeguard their digital information against potential cyber-attacks.
