Update Chrome As Soon As Possible (Even If You Don’t Use It)
It’s time to update your Chrome—even if you don’t use Chrome, it might be time to update your browser. Depending on how you use the Internet, you may be at risk of a new zero-day vulnerability.
What’s happening with the latest Google Chrome update?
The latest Google Chrome update—version 120.0.6099.129 for Mac and Linux and version 120.0.6099.129/130 for Windows —only fixes one security flaw , but that doesn’t mean it should be ignored. The vulnerability, reported as CVE-2023-7024, is a heap-based buffer overflow in WebRTC , a platform that adds communication features such as video and audio without the need for plugins. When this type of error occurs, attackers can use it to execute arbitrary code: in other words, they can take over the system. Bad news.
When a bug like this is discovered, it is always important for developers to fix it as soon as possible. However, CVE-2023-7024 needs to be patched immediately as it is a zero-day vulnerability. This means that attackers are aware of the vulnerability and have already taken advantage of it. Google confirmed this in a blog post, saying that they are aware that there is an exploit for this vulnerability.
Zero-day flaws such as CVE-2023-7024 mean that anyone running a pre-patch version of the software is vulnerable to an exploit. It is unknown how many times this vulnerability has been exploited or how widespread the situation is, but you should update your browser as soon as possible.
Since this flaw affects Chrome, it affects Chromium, the platform on which Chrome is built. This means that any browser that uses Chromium, including Microsoft Edge, Brave, and Opera, should also update as soon as possible to protect against this zero-day.
How to update Google Chrome to fix this zero-day error
To update Chrome yourself, click the three-dot menu in the top right corner of the window, then choose Help > About Google Chrome . Allow Chrome to search for new updates. When this happens, follow the onscreen instructions to install the update and restart your browser.