If you use Google Chrome, it is essential to check your browser quickly.
Google recently issued an urgent security update to Chrome due to a flaw discovered in the browser, used by billions of people around the world. A very technical flaw, but which is considered critical, because it has been classified “zero-day”. A classification meaning that it is unpublished and that there is no protection against piracy to date.
This vulnerability concerns images in WebP format, commonly used on the Internet. It could allow a hacker to carry out an attack when you visit a site, via maliciously crafted images, explains an expert interviewed by Forbes. The hack could even be carried out without any interaction on your part. “CVE-2023-4863 critical: heap buffer overflow in WebP,” Google explained in fairly complex jargon on its security page as early as September 7, even though the flaw had been reported only the day before.
To prevent cybercriminals from invading your browser, it is therefore strongly advised to check that you are using the latest version of Chrome on mobile or desktop. Google also said that new Chrome updates for Mac and Linux as well as Windows would be deployed in the coming days.
Security updates are automatic, but it’s always best to check your device to make sure the patch has been downloaded and activated. Once on Chrome, click on the three small dots at the top right of the browser. These three dots can be found at the bottom of the window on mobile. Then select the “Help” option, then “About Google Chrome” or “Update Google Chrome”. The maneuver should start the process of checking for updates or give you instructions to follow.
Once a security update has been downloaded and installed, remember to restart your browser to enable protection. It is possible to click on a “Relaunch” button to make sure.
Although it is not yet known whether other browsers using Chromium, such as Edge, Opera or others, are affected by this vulnerability, it seems prudent to check for security updates on these tools as well.
