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Vulnerability Warning for Chrome Users, AND Non-Users

Tracy Kraft

2 min read

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A recently announced Chrome vulnerability needs to be addressed not only for Chrome users, but potentially more immediately for devices that have Chrome installed but not currently in use.

I have Chrome installed but I don’t use it, why am I at risk?

Users with dormant (unused) versions on their machines may not receive the critical update. This puts devices, and their larger home or professional network at increased risk.

What should you do?

Ask your organization’s IT department to confirm that auto-updates are active on all machines where Chrome is installed. It is best practice for all programs and applications to be kept current, mitigating the risk resulting from out-of-date programs with known vulnerabilities. ‘Get current; stay current’ is a favorite mantra of Kraft Kennedy CIO, Marcus Bluestein.

On an individual level, or for your home machine, you can follow the steps outlined below from this Forbes article to manually install the most current version.

How to apply the Chrome Update

In the April 27th  article, Forbes reported that Google had confirmed a number of vulnerabilities in Chrome, impacting the browser across all major platforms reported via Google’s April 26th blog post.Chrome Update

Google has released Chrome 101.0.4951.41 and plans to roll it out over the next coming days or weeks. If you would like to get ahead of this you can force Chrome to manually check for and install the update by following the directions below:

  1. Click the three dots in the top right corner of Chrome
  2. Click Settings > Help > About Google Chrome.
  3. Wait for Chrome to find and install the update.
  4. When prompted, restart Chrome

This last step is crucial and Chrome will not be protected until you do.

If  Chrome is installed on your home and/or office device, especially if you do not use it as your default browser,  be sure to follow these directions. If you have concerns about your IT security, please contact Kraft Kennedy.

Additional details here.