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Chrome Browser Bug Could Let Hackers Take Over Your Computer

by Elizabeth Harper on September 03, 2019

A newly-found bug in the Chrome desktop browser lets hackers take over your computer; so you should stop what you’re doing and update Chrome right now. This exploit is currently part of the Mac and Windows desktop versions of the browser. It's a particularly dangerous exploit because it doesn’t require you to do anything wrong. Simply visiting a website with malicious code can let a hacker remotely execute code on your computer.

That could mean a lot of bad things, including a hacker completely taking control of your computer. By the time you realize you are on a fraudulent website, you could already be compromised and lose everything on your computer.

Fortunately, the bug is very easy to fix, because Google just put out an update to stop this bug in its tracks. If you have the Chrome browser, you should update it immediately, which is a pretty simple process. Chrome typically keeps itself updated, but to do so, you have to close and reopen the browser. This can be a problem for anyone who tends to just leave their browser open, thus accidentally leaving themselves open to threats like this one. If you’re the sort of person who just leaves their web browser running in the background, your browser may not get updated often.

How to see if your Chrome browser has been updated

To see if your Chrome browser is up to date, look at the upper right corner of your Chrome browser. If you see a red, orange, or green icon where you usually see the triple dots, you need to update Chrome. Green means the update was released less than 2 days ago, orange means the update was released less than 4 days ago and red means the update was released 4 or more days ago. Click on the colored icon and the select Update Google Chrome. Your Chrome browser will restart. If you don't close your open tabs, Chrome will reopen them for you when it restarts. 

Chrome needs to be updated

If you want to double check:

  • Click the three vertical dots upper right corner of your browser. 
  • Click Help at the bottom of the menu that pops up and then select About Google Chrome.
  • Chrome will automatically check for updates.
  • If it's already applied the patch, it will tell you “Google Chrome is up to date,“ and show Chrome running version 76.0.3809.

Updating Google Chrome

To avoid bugs like this, keep your software up to date at all times, so all of the latest security patches are installed. Both your operating system and the individual apps you run should have options to auto-update, and after you update Chrome, you should be sure auto-update is turned on for any other apps you use. Otherwise, it would be all too easy to find yourself caught up in the next dangerous software exploit.

[Image credit: Google chrome browser on laptop via BigStockPhoto, screenshots via Techlicious]


Topics

News, Computers and Software, Computer Safety & Support, Blog


Discussion loading

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From Melvin Baylor on September 03, 2019 :: 11:53 am


Do I need to update my Browser.

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From Josh Kirschner on September 03, 2019 :: 12:44 pm


This particular bug and fix is for the desktop version of Chrome. However, you should always have your browser set to do automatic updates on mobile, too, to ensure you have the latest security and performance fixes in place.

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From Oxford White on September 03, 2019 :: 3:40 pm


Well, these are all loaded topics, but sometimes the cache libraries with get corrupted; and/or moreover the sync-ed passwords. I prefer to clear the cache library out first. I think wherever possible we should avoid using the very dated idea of computing via PC. Windows is just a giant virus magnet anyway.

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From Ben on September 03, 2019 :: 3:52 pm


Thank you for this.  I’ve been getting popups on my mac for a couple of months to redirect for an update to chrome, but it looked really suspicious, so I would just close it.  Glad to know both I did the right thing, and how to update Google Chrome.  Thanks again.

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From Valery on November 25, 2019 :: 2:50 am


Where do I go to find out who is getting into my pH.without my permission

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From David Kempa on June 30, 2020 :: 10:05 am


Check the update description of chrome etc. I on this site…
They say that there is a delay between browser and operating system.. And the orange or green or whatever dot.. Is normal and disappears by itself when the delay i between these programs is overcome..
Even with latest version.. Just check the site.. Scroll about one page down there u should understand the explanatiin

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From David Kempa on June 30, 2020 :: 10:06 am


https://www.whatismybrowser.com/guides/the-latest-version/chrome

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