The government has released a high-severity cybersecurity alert for people using the Google Chrome browser and has urged all users to take immediate steps to secure their devices.
In an advisory, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), the national cyber agency under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, reported critical vulnerabilities in Chrome that attackers could exploit to gain unauthorized access to systems.
Officials advised users to update Chrome immediately because older versions contain major security flaws. The latest update fixes these weaknesses and reduces the risk of cyberattacks.
According to the advisory, devices running Chrome versions older than 144.0.7559.75 on Linux and 145.0.7632.75/76 on Windows and macOS may be unsafe.
CERT-In warned that a remote attacker could use the vulnerability to run malicious code on a targeted system.
The issue is linked to a “Use-After-Free” bug in Chrome’s CSS component. In this case, the browser continues using memory even after it has been cleared, which hackers can exploit.
The agency clarified that attackers do not need physical access to the device. They can trick users into clicking a suspicious link or opening a specially crafted webpage. The flaw activates as soon as the page loads.
If the attack succeeds, hackers may run harmful programs on the computer. They could steal data, install malware, spy on user activity, or even take full control of the system.
How to update Google Chrome
Click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner of Chrome, open Settings, and select About Chrome.
The browser will automatically check for updates and download the latest version. After installation, restart Chrome to complete the update.
