Google warns millions of users of serious security flaw

Millions of people around the world use Chrome as their default browser, making it the most targeted by hackers and cyber crooks. Google, which operates Chrome, has issued a warning to users about the discovery of a bug that threatens their safety and privacy online. The bug has been classified as high risk, prompting the company to find an immediate fix.

Bad bug

The exact details of the security flaw are yet to be disclosed by Google. As is routine practice, the company is waiting to have more install the latest update which has the fix before divulging more information, lest hackers take advantage. However, Google had this much to say in a statement:

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.

Security risk

Google however did indicate that the bug relates to 'Type Confusion in V8'. According to experts from Sophos, this threat targets Google's JavaScript subsystem, the programming language used to display web pages as you see them, The Sun wrote.

V8 is responsible for compiling and running any JavaScript programs embedded in any web pages you visit. But the bug that's been uncovered can apparently be used to manipulate code to trick local programs into doing bad stuff that was sent in from outside. The fix for this bug is in the latest update that users are encouraged to install.

The analysts disclosed that this was the ninth of such updates in 2022 alone. This latest one is coming barely days after a wider update for Chrome 108 was released with 28 security fixes.

Sources used:

The Sun: Google issues urgent warning to millions of Chrome users – you must act now