Government warning for Google Chrome users: What it is and how to remain safe – Times of India

Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-IN) recently issued a warning for Google Chrome users. The risk was categorized as ‘high severity’ and noted multiple vulnerabilities in Google Chrome which could make it an easy target for hackers.
What government has said
CERT-IN is a nodal agency under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. It deals with cybersecurity threats like phishing and hacking. Its latest warning was issued for Google Chrome users who are using the browser’s versions prior to 98.0.4758.80. The agency said that it has spotted “multiple vulnerabilities in Google Chrome OS which could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the targeted system.”
Why the warning
CERT-In warns its users that the successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities can allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the targeted user’s device.
These vulnerabilities, the agency says, exist in Google Chrome “due to Use after free in Safe Browsing, Reader Mode, Web Search, Thumbnail Tab Strip, Screen Capture, Window Dialog, Payments, Extensions, Accessibility and Cast; Heap buffer overflow in ANGLE; Inappropriate implementation in Full Screen Mode, Scroll, Extensions Platform and Pointer Lock; Type Confusion in V8;Policy bypass in COOP and Out of bounds memory access in V8”.
What users can do
To avoid falling prey to hackers, Google Chrome users are advised to update their Google Chrome browser version to 98.0.4758.80.
Meanwhile, Google has rolled out an update to fix the issue. Google said that the update fixes 27 security issues. “Access to bug details and links may be kept restricted until a majority of users are updated with a fix. We will also retain restrictions if the bug exists in a third party library that other projects similarly depend on, but haven’t yet fixed”, the tech giant noted.
But it is advisable that users switch to the latest version of Chrome OS.
How to update Chrome browser
To update Google Chrome browser on your device, click on the three dot menu present at the top right of the page. Here, search and click on Settings. Look for About Chrome on your left side. Click on it. This will show if a new update is available for Chrome on your device. If the update is available, click on Update. Once updated, relaunch the browser to install the latest version of Chrome browser.