Google Chrome flaw is being exploited in the wild — Update Chrome immediately!

Google Chrome
(Image credit: Google)

Google Chrome is the most popular browser on the planet, which naturally also makes it the biggest target for would-be hackers.

A new zero-day flaw in Chrome was discovered last month by Alison Huffman of Microsoft Browser Vulnerability Research. The flaw is being exploited in the wild according to the Chrome team, but beyond its identification as an "Object lifecycle issue in audio," no additional details have been shared (via The Hacker News).

The latest Chrome 89.0.4389.72 update fortunately includes a patch for this vulnerability. This is partly why Google is not releasing any additional details regarding the vulnerability, to avoid anyone else exploiting the flaw before users have updated. So to ensure that you are safe you simply need to verify that Chrome is up-to-date. 

How to update Google Chrome

  • Click on the three vertical dots in the upper-right corner of Chrome. (a.k.a, the overflow or more options menu)
  • Select Settings
  • Click on About Chrome in the menu on the left-side of the page
  • Chrome will automatically check for the most current version, if you need to update a Relaunch button will appear to the right
  • Click Relaunch and that's it, your browser is up-to-date and secure
Sean Riley

Sean Riley has been covering tech professionally for over a decade now. Most of that time was as a freelancer covering varied topics including phones, wearables, tablets, smart home devices, laptops, AR, VR, mobile payments, fintech, and more.  Sean is the resident mobile expert at Laptop Mag, specializing in phones and wearables, you'll find plenty of news, reviews, how-to, and opinion pieces on these subjects from him here. But Laptop Mag has also proven a perfect fit for that broad range of interests with reviews and news on the latest laptops, VR games, and computer accessories along with coverage on everything from NFTs to cybersecurity and more.