If you use Chrome to browse the web and check your emails each day then you’d be wise to watch out for an urgent update coming from. Google.
All Chrome users have been placed on red alert and if Google ‘s browser is your chosen software for searching the web you’d be wise not to ignore the latest warning. The alarm has been raised after the discovery of a number of flaws in Chrome that could allow hackers to access sensitive data on PCs. Contestants at the yearly Pwn2Own hacking contest – where cyber experts are challenged to exploit widely used software – found the bugs and then made Google aware of the issues.
Glitches are pretty common, but what makes this latest threat more worrying is that have been branded “zero-day” flaws. For those not in the know, zero-day means hackers are already aware of the flaw and are actively exploiting it in the wild. That’s why Google has rushed to push out a fix so fast.
The first Chrome upgrade was released last week and mended two zero-day flaws. Now there’s another update coming this week which blocks another issue from affecting users.
“The Stable channel has been updated to 123.0.6312.105/.106/.107 for Windows and Mac and 123.0.6312.105 to Linux which will roll out over the coming days/weeks,” Google confirmed on its Chrome page.
If you want to stay safe it’s recommended you download this change as soon as possible.
To see what version you are using on your PC, simply head to Settings > About Chrome. Here you’ll see the version number and whether an upgrade is available.
If new software is ready you’ll need to relaunch the browser for things to be installed.
This latest news comes as Google has confirmed it will now need to delete billions of personal records stored in its data centres and make more prominent privacy disclosures about Chrome’s Incognito mode when it is activated.
That’s thanks to a new legal judgement in the US after a complaint that accused Google of tracking internet activity even when “Incognito” mode was activated.
“This Settlement ensures real accountability and transparency from the world ’s largest data collector and marks an important step toward improving and upholding our right to privacy on the Internet,” the settlement filing said.
