Google fixes flaws in Chrome

New versions of Google Chrome are out, fixing bugs and patching security holes in both the stable build and the beta build.

Two serious security flaws have been plugged. One had allowed for malicious code exploitation within the Chrome tab sandbox. Found by the Google security team, the threat was serious enough that Google has declined to be more specific until "a majority of users are up to date with the fix," the company said in a blog post on Thursday.

A second security risk caused by memory corruption was found in the browser tab processes. It could have been used to run arbitrary code that would crash all of the browser tabs, creating a second security hole through which an attacker might be able to run code with the privileges of the logged-on user.

Other bug fixes include updates to the V8 JavaScript engine, updates to Google Gears, and getting forward and backward navigation to work even when site redirection is involved.

The full list of changes can be read here.

[biffhenerson]

It's not IE so it must be acceptable that it has flaws. If it were IE on which you were reporting, this thread would be long... very long. Double standard.

[B-Ri]

Agreed, MS is a magnet for negative comments, just like Apple. That being said I wish they would correct the biggest flaw...that it isn't available for Mac OS X yet. I want to see if it's better than Firefox on the Mac.

[gunchmofo]

You're correct, not because you're a controversy loving troll, but you did actually manage to capably point out to Microsoft enthusiasts that even though IE has been around forever IE 6 has been trending on twitter for a few days now because people are frustrated that Youtube is dropping support for an outdated version of a mediocre browser. Whether it's Chrome, Safari, or Firefox, everything is better than IE which is interesting because for so long Microsoft has dominated the market on sheer brand strength and bundling.<br /><br />The last browser that IE was clearly better than was Netscape Navigator back when Excite.com was still a legitimate search choice. The reason for the double standard is that Chrome might be a year old and is faster with probably less (although probably more commonly detected) security flaws, whereas IE which has been around forever and still sucks. Thanks for comin out.

[Vegaman_Dan]

Yes, there is a double standard in play, but not by the OEM's. It's just fans spouting off and that really doesn't mean much in the real world. <br /> <br />I'd rather have OEM's patching the products when they find flaws regardless who they are.

[t8]

Microsoft is a bloated dinosaur and their products are too.<br /><br />Google is lean and fast. Their stuff is better.

[t8]

Microsoft is a bloated dinosaur and their products are too.<br /><br />Google is lean and fast. Their stuff is better.

[make_or_break]

Meh...Microsoft is bloated, Google is in perpetual beta. But BOTH want to take over the world.

[jabberwolf]

I simply love how Googles News under tech always tried to promote things the CHROME OS and CHROME browser and always tries to link anything wrong about MS that it can.<br /><br />It's kinda humerous!

[ballmerisanape]

B-Ri.. anything is better than FF on the Mac.. Not sure why.. but it's a dog slow POS on every Mac ive tried it on. I love using it in XP though. <br /><br />Best browser for the Mac right now is Safari. It wasn't always that way.. but has been since the latest Safari update. <br /><br />I imagine that Chrome and Safari will be similar in speed... and appearance... with Safari having a little more shine to it.

[Vegaman_Dan]

I have FF on my MacBookPro and ... well, it just seems klunky compared to the same product on a Windows system. The implementation just doesn't compare. It's the same interface, but it just seems like wading through treacle with it on the Mac. I tend to still use it over Safari if only because I prefer the interface since it's the same on both Windows and Mac platforms. <br /> <br />Once Chrome is out on the Mac- I'll switch immediately.

[websterphreaky]

Oh oh oh oh .... Google makes software with bugs!!???? (Another crAPPLE in the works) Imagine how good Goofles Chrome OS will be!! Bwah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha .....<br /><br />No wonder Steve Balmer laughed off a supposed challenge to Windows DOMINATION (95%) from a Google OS based on Chrome .... based on another LAME VERSION of Linux.

[Vegaman_Dan]

Just a tip- this sort of posting is traditionally known as trolling. Your comments won't get any respect unless you make them with without open mockery in both tone and content. <br /> <br />You may not like a product, but you have to give it respect accordingly.

[t8]

Bill and Steve also laughed at search and before that, the Internet.

[unifex_]

@ Vegaman_Dan : Not to defend the post of websterphreaky (he was out of line there), but since when do we have to give respect to a product? You either use it or not. But respect? You are supposed to respect people, not things or products.

[Vegaman_Dan]

Seems like the more and more you work on any browser, the more and more you find flaws that need to be patched. This is true of any of the browsers out there today. I'm glad that updates and patches are made available when they are, and that developers are keeping their eyes out for problems as they occur.

[renGek]

Thats true of any software. You make a change of something, you risk introducing new bugs, breaking something that used to work or build something nobody cares about. This always happens when people in charge who are not technical make "request" of features. And no matter how many times you tell them its a risky move they just don't get it nor do they care. It might be a minor feature but as soon as you tell them its not a recommended move then that minor request is suddenly a "must have" feature.

[mbertwave]

In the 14 years that I've been using Windows I never once got a virus. Then I installed Chrome and browsed to some site that installed a virus on my machine. Sure enough the next day I read about the Chrome vulnerability. One day too late. <br /> <br />Chrome is a terrific product though. Simple, fast, elegant.

[hartford3]

Just search BHO. You got IE. You got virus.

[unifex_]

@ hartford Yea, right, one gets a virus using Chrome, but the fault is with IE, just for being resident. You people are something.

[Hunnter2k3]

As always, even the "best" security is still not good enough.<br /><br />Best always to run things under a Sandbox if it works with external networks often. (web browsers, IM, BitTorrent, whatever)<br />Sandboxie is my favorite for such things.<br />Bonus points if you run a virtual machine :)

[ospideyo]

Firefox is still my default browser. In my opinion there is no better browser than Firefox!

[Mars_Boy]

Hello

[ThatDuckGuy]

If Google Chrome had 1 more thing I would switch from Firefox to Chrome. That one thing is have the RSS feeds set up like Firefox. The streaming feeds in the toolbar is so easy to manage and use that it is the one thing stopping me from migrating to Chrome.

[jakestarnes]

I had that issue back when chrome was first released having used Firefox with RSS streams in the toolbar. However, I found that Google reader with all your feeds, kept open in a tab, does the trick really well...if not better. It's not for everyone, but it certainly worked for me; using the best browser I personally have used in years.

[dinjin201]

Umm... not to sound like a complete noob or anything, but HOW do you download this gooogle chrome update? do i just download and reinstall chrome? or is there some sort of "update" button?

[monkeyfun14]

Wrench icon &gt; About Google Chrome<br /><br />And it downloads update.

[Synslade]

Click on the wrench, click on About Google Chrome, check for updates

[angela51509]

Hmmm... I know Chrome will come out soon... Bug-Free...<br /><br />I can't wait to explore that one, but I seem worried about the equivalent specs... Need to upgrade again?<br /><br /><br />&lt;a href = "http://brinkmanngasgrill.net"&gt;Angela's Brink &lt;/a&gt;

[denigma78]

I don't give care if MS and Google are both trying to take over the tech world. May the best company win. If a person doesn't have anything to hide then it doesn't matter if neither one of them is spying on a person. Regardless, either company will find ways to collect intellectual data thru the use of their products especially when you use their web browsers. There is no way to completely remain completely anoyomous in the computer world. All I know is that I can surf the hell out of the internet when I'm using Chrome and I can't say that for FF, IE, or even Opera. It just feels light and it goes straight to the website with no lag. If Chrome handled downloads as good as IE or FF then it really would the s**t!!!!

[jpmccloud01]

I just wanted to say. Thank god for another reasonable person. I here comments about Google watching everyone and ask " If google thinks I've that interesting then here is a smile, because I have nothing to hide from the government and if I did I wouldn't be on the internet". Big brother doesn't scare me and shouldn't scare the average Joe or Jane. now if your one that has issues, why are you using the internet anyhow. It makes no sence!

[sdf0013]

I downloaded the new version of Chrome, updated really. There are new bugs. The back button is not working correctly. It's dropping some pages from the history. Hopefully they get this fixed soon. Not being able to reliably use the back button is frustrating.

[jpmccloud01]

I hate this report. You might ask why? Here's the answer Friday night I got home from work at about 10 or 11, was on my computer read this article and some other stuff and checked to make sure my computer was in good order. It appeared to be, note appeared to be. Yesterday morning got up and started my computer. My operating system had crashed. I wonder if it had anything to do with the Chrome issues? What I do know is I had to get out my restore disks and old computer disks and play how does E.T. find home for over 4 hrs yesterday and 21/2 hrs today, because half my computers orignal config I've changed or updated. This was a worth while post and a lot of work., but I learned something. I prey it had nothing to do with Chrome and just a coincidence

[tournxg]

I loved Chrome at first, it seemed faster and more fluid like. I all of a sudden noticed that I wasn;t seeing things as I was supposed to and ran into tons of display problems with web pages while browsing with chrome, unfortunately I had to go back to IE8, hoping they fix that soon, or am I missing something here?

[Reticulata]

sounds like something on your end, not Chrome's

[TechSlap]

depending on the site... sure could be chrome. I had this happen to a few of my friends but... It wasn't enough pages or big enough issue to actually have them switch.

[jpmccloud01]

One thing I've noticed is that all of a sudden there are new updates for everything Chrome, IE8, Firefox Java, Flash, and other components. If your on and older computer like the 4600 dell I've got your probably inline for some hardware upgrades like ram and video card, as well as a new nic card.

[jamesgarner]

One MAJOR difference between Firefox and it's competitors is they will publicly admit their product has a flaw and they will issue a patch as soon as it's humanly possible. Not so with IE. They knew about the Active-X zero-day bug for something like 18 months. Not only didn't they go public with it, but last Tuesday when they finally did issue a patch, they neglected to fully fix the bug. Not the case with the recently released FF 3.5 and it's TraceMonkey JavaScript flaw. Firefox announced the bug on 71/3 and because they're open source, users were immediately able to make their own temporary repair (which FF clearly outlined in plain English so the noobiest of noobs could execute it) via about:config. FF issued a formal patch just 4 days later with the 3.5.1 update. No browser or OS is completely bulletproof when it comes to attacks and it's how those attacks are addressed that will dictate which product I use. That's why I've been a dedicated Firefox user since version .09

[taylor1277]

Well just with in the last few days i moved to Google chrome,i have hangups which i thought were from my ATT wireless card,appears to be microsoft's IE8.Now i have to say that Google Chrome is better with regards to speed and stability.But you have to look at IE for what you can add to it,for instance i have Yahoo toolbar loaded on my IE,great service,i can save a book mark to my Yahoo bookmarks and if my computer crashes im safe.If my compute crashes with Google Chrome,my bookmarks that i save with it are gone.IE just has better add-ons no not everyone likes them but i do like some,i also have Googles Toolbar on my IE works great and there are icons on both of them that i can click and at the touch of a button right above me,well enough said,I would keep Google Chrome if it had more to it,but if microsoft comes out with IE9 and its better ill go back.