Chrome users should update their browsers as soon as possible to mitigate potential risks.

Indian Government warns Google users of ‘high’ risk to personal data and banking details

Adriana MaraisJuly 25, 24 cybersecurity, Google, Google chrome

Attention Chrome users: The Indian Government’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has issued a security risk warning. According to the advisory, users on Mac, Linux, and Windows should update their Chrome browsers immediately to protect against a ‘high’ risk security flaw in certain versions.

CERT-In warning for Chrome users – who does it affect?

CERT-In notes that several vulnerabilities have been found in Google Chrome that could allow a hacker or malicious actor to target the system and compromise data, including personal files and banking information, putting millions of users at risk. Affected versions are:

Google Chrome desktop versions 126.0.6478.182/183 earlier (Windows and Mac).
Google Chrome for Desktop versions older than 126.0.6478.182 (Linux).

Chrome Alert: What Chrome Users Should Do and How to Always Stay Safe?

As a first and only line of defense, Chrome users should download the latest Stable Channel Update for Desktop. The update versions are 126.0.6478.182/183 for Windows and Mac and 126.0.6478.182 for Linux.

CERT-In reports that Google Chrome has vulnerabilities prompting this notification due to “improper implementation in V8; type confusion in V8; out-of-bounds memory usage in V8; free after use Screen Capture, Media Stream, Audio and Navigation ; race condition error in DevTools.” A hacker can exploit these vulnerabilities and lead an unsuspecting victim to a “specially crafted webpage”.

Simply put, the risk of exploitation is high due to these issues and an immediate update is essential to protect against such attacks.

In general, it is recommended to update your software – be it the operating system or applications – as soon as possible whenever the manufacturer releases an update. In today’s world, hackers are sophisticated enough to exploit vulnerabilities quickly, putting millions of people at risk. Therefore, updating applications and operating system should become a routine practice.