Suppose you’re one of an estimated 2.65 billion people across the globe who uses Google Chrome to browse the web. In that case, you need to be aware of some ongoing security threats plaguing this browser — particularly in the past year. While browser attacks are not uncommon, the sheer number of security vulnerabilities discovered (and exploited by hackers) on Google Chrome in 2021 alone have been troubling.
When you’re aware of these attacks and what Google is doing about them, you can take the necessary steps to keep your information secure while you browse the web.
Ongoing Attacks on the Google Chrome Browser
In September of 2021, Google confirmed that the number of attacks on the popular Chrome browser had been steadily increasing, with one “critical” attack confirmed. This zero-day attack, which was the 11th carried out against the browser this year, affected Windows, macOS, and Linux users.
Even though Google released a fix/update for this vulnerability swiftly following news of the attack, it wasn’t long before more vulnerabilities were discovered. A couple of months later, in November of 2021, Google confirmed that 25 new vulnerabilities (including seven “high-level” threats) were found on its Chrome browser.
In response to these issues, Google released an update for the Chrome browser. This update (version 96.0.4664.45) rolled out over the course of several weeks. While things have been relatively quiet at Google since this new update was released, many Chrome users still find themselves on-edge.
How Users Can Protect Themselves Google Chrome Security Threats
So, what are some steps you can take to protect yourself from these kinds of security vulnerabilities on Google Chrome? Start by ensuring you have the most up-to-date version of your browser installed. You can do this by going into your browser settings and clicking on the “Security Check” tab. If an update is available, install it promptly and be sure to restart your browser so that the updates take effect.
Still not comfortable using Google Chrome? You can always switch browsers. In fact, more users are beginning to make the switch away from Google Chrome to browsers like Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. Of course, all browsers have their own potential security vulnerabilities, so you’ll be taking a risk no matter which browser you use.
With that in mind, this is also a good time to check your passwords and make sure they’re strong. You might even want to change your passwords to new ones if you haven’t done this recently.
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