Google Chrome users were issued a high-severity warning by the government; here’s why

If you’re a Google Chrome user, you probably want to pay attention to the recent high-risk warning that the government issued. The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team, or CERT-IN, published a notice about possible vulnerabilities in an advisory labelled CIVIN-2024-0031.

It went on to mention how the flagged vulnerabilities pose a high risk to Chrome users who are using a version prior to 114.0.5735.350 (Platform version: 15437.90.0) on the LTS (long-term support) channel. If you’re worried about how this impacts you, we have everything you need to know about it. Read on.

What does this warning mean for you?

Simply put, CERT-IN has highlighted a possible susceptibility that a remote attacker could misuse using the Google Chrome browser. According to the advisory, these attackers can be “exploited by a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code, gain elevated privileges, bypass security restrictions”.

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What are the vulnerabilities?

One of the ways an attacker could pose a threat is by exploiting possible memory errors within its Side Panel Search feature. Another way that this vulnerability arises is from inadequate validation of data input in extensions. This can further be exploited by attackers who can execute malicious actions over the affected systems.

CERT-IN warns users how attackers can leverage this exposure by luring victims into specially curated web pages. Users, once on the webpages, can be susceptible to attacks.

How can you stay safe against these attacks?

CERT-IN has advised users with an older Google Chrome version to update their browser immediately before using it. Users are required to have it on a 114.0.5735.350 (or later) version on the LTS channel. These updates come with patches to tackle the identified vulnerabilities and strengthen system security effectively.

Apart from this, it is best to be cautious while browsing the internet and visiting unfamiliar websites. Avoid clicking on suspicious emails or message communication that you find on both your desktop and smartphone. It is also advisable to have strong anti-virus software and regularly update your applications and firewall to protect your system against any potential attacks.