A prominent security engineer has warned that users of Google Chrome need to update their favorite web browser immediately. Justin Schuh explains that the internet giant announced that it had uncovered a bug in their software, commonly known as a Zero-Day exploit.
The software bug relates to a part of Google Chrome called FileReader which allows the contents of files to be read once given permission by the user. Google has kept the details of the exploit under wraps for fears that the attack might become more wide spread and preventing copy cat hackers.
However according to official notes, the FileReader system allows the hacker to gain more general control allowing them to remotely execute code.
This Remote Code Execution, or RCE, can allow hackers to implant malware without the user knowing, ultimately giving remote access without user consent.
Currently there is no workaround however upgrading to the latest release of Google Chrome should be considered a priority. Upgrading Google Chrome is easy, by following this link, ‘Get a Chrome Update’, you can upgrade to the latest to remove this threat.
The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures website tracks thousands of bugs across thousands of individual software items. Google have registered a thread, CVE-2018-5786, but have yet to provide any further insight into the issue. The CVE system tracks all vulnerabilities and exploits across all types of software and hardware.
Operating systems and their applications have become frequently more complex. Hackers exploit these complexities and therefore it is vitally important that you keep your computers up-to-date with the latest software. Google controls 66.17% of the internet browser market which will always make it a big target for hackers to find back doors so it’s vital that updates are installed when made available.
