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A new patch fixes a dangerous security exploit.
Yesterday, Google sent out a warning to all users of the Google Chrome internet browser that they should update their browser immediately. The new version, 96.0.4664.110, is an emergency patch designed to fix an extremely dangerous security exploit found in Chrome’s system, codenamed “CVE-2021-4102.”
“Google is aware of reports that an exploit for CVE-2021-4102 exists in the wild,” Google said in their advisory. “We would also like to thank all security researchers that worked with us during the development cycle to prevent security bugs from ever reaching the stable channel.”
According to reports, CVE-2021-4102 utilizes a flaw in Chrome V8’s JavaScript engine that would allow an outside user to hack the program and execute remote code. Basically, that means all a hacker would have to do is find a running instance of Google Chrome on your computer or phone, and through it, they could send whatever nasty malignant code their gross little hearts desired.
Google Chrome—Emergency Security Update For 2.6 Billion As Attacks Underway https://t.co/nZQ66fGodJ pic.twitter.com/YOzbKoPh9t
— Forbes Tech (@ForbesTech) December 14, 2021
All instances of Chrome should update themselves automatically, though just to be safe, you can check your current version of Chrome by clicking the three dots, selecting “Help,” and clicking “About Chrome.” You can check your Chrome version here, and if necessary, update it. After the update is downloaded, just close and relaunch the browser, and you’re good. In addition to CVE-2021-4102, the emergency patch also fixes several other critical security problems, so if you haven’t updated yet, you should do so as soon as possible.
