Millions of Google Chrome users warned to relaunch browser ‘immediately’

Google has just patched a zero-day vulnerability that is already being exploited by hackers. If you use Chrome on your desktop or laptop to surf the web and check your email, then it would be wise to make sure you’re running the latest and most secure version without vulnerabilities.

Google has released an emergency security update for its Chrome browser for Windows, Mac, and Linux, and all users are urged to install the update immediately. Making sure your web browser stays up-to-date is crucial to staying safe online. Tech giant Google has issued a stark warning urging users to update their Chrome browser after a “zero-day” vulnerability was discovered. This means that a security flaw in Chrome is being actively exploited by hackers.

If you haven’t updated Google Chrome to the latest version on your Windows computer or Apple Mac, you’re technically at risk of having your personal data accessed remotely. The bug is called “CVE-2024-4671,” and Google has confirmed in the Chrome update notes that it’s being actively exploited, so it’s a threat to online security.

READ MORE Britain braces for three-day heatwave next week and will be ‘hotter than California’

In an update on its website, Google explained: “The Stable channel has been updated to 124.0.6367.201/.202 for Mac and Windows and 124.0.6367.201 for Linux, which will be released in the coming days/weeks.” Google also confirmed that they are “aware of an exploit for CVE-2024-4671 in the wild.”

Manas Chowdhury, VP of the cloud security company AccuKnox , warns that the new flaw could allow hackers to exploit mismanaged memory to gain control of an affected device. “These vulnerabilities could cause anything from system crashes and corrupted data to, in the worst case scenario, attackers taking unauthorized access and control of a victim’s system if cleverly exploited,” he said.

“Google has confirmed that there is an exploit in the wild, which makes it a much more serious problem. Immediate action is required to patch your system,” Manas explained. “Without the patch installed, your browser is vulnerable to attack. This can range from your browser simply crashing to a hacker remotely running malicious code on your machine,” concludes Manas Chowdhury.