Google urges its Chrome users to update their browser immediately to install the latest security patch. It’s currently available on desktops running Windows, Mac, and Linux, fixing an exploit that could otherwise leave you vulnerable.
Patches 119.0.6045.199 for Mac and Linux and 119.0.6045.199/.200 for Windows contain seven different fixes. They’re all pretty important, but as far as security goes, Bleeping Computer notes that CVE-2023-6345 is the most concerning.
Due to a problem in the Skia 2D graphics library, risks include anything from system crashes to a gateway for attackers to execute malicious code. The library is also used in ChromeOS, Android, and Flutter, but don’t fear for your smartphone or Chromebook just yet. Google Threat Analysis Group (TAG) researchers haven’t flagged anything other than desktop’s Chrome as a concern.
To manually update Chrome, all you need to do is:
- Open your browser
- Click the hamburger menu (three dots) in the top-right
- Hover over Help and click About Google Chrome
- Select Relaunch
You won’t see the option to relaunch if your browser is already up to date or Google hasn’t yet rolled the patch out to you. The update could take days or even weeks to reach all users, so don’t fret if you don’t see it. If you’re too worried, you can always use a different browser in the interim. It’s actually good common practice to have at least two on your system anyway, just in case.
So far, this is the sixth zero-day vulnerability that Google has fixed this year. You can choose to see that as a hot streak or a hot mess, but at least exploits are being fixed.
