Google fixes actively exploited Chrome zero-day

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Google has released an updated version of its Chrome web browser following reports of a zero-day vulnerability being exploited in the wild.

Version 88.0.4324.150 for Windows, Mac and Linux contains only one patch which is aimed at a memory corruption bug in Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine, known as CVE-2021-21148.

The vulnerability, marked as high risk, was reported on 24 January by security researcher Mattias Buelens, who is also a lead software architect on THEOplayer.

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Google Chrome technical program manager Srinivas Sista said that the tech giant is “aware of reports that an exploit for CVE-2021-21148 exists in the wild”. He didn’t provide any additional details about the zero-day vulnerability due to risk of further exploitation, noting that the majority of users hadn’t yet been updated with a fix.

However, ZDNet notes that the date on which Google says the bug was reported, January 24, is just two days after Google's Threat Analysis Group reported a hacking campaign carried out by North Korean hackers against the cyber security community. It's believed this campaign may have relied on zero-day exploits in Chrome and Internet Explorer.

Chrome version 88.0.4324.150 has begun to roll out to users across Windows, Mac and Linux systems. Users can check if their Chrome browser is up to date by following these steps:

Open your Chrome browser and look the three vertical dots on the top right corner
Green means the update it less than two days old
Orange means the update is about four days old
Red means the update is a least a week old
If the dots are coloured, click them to open the menu
Click “Update Google Chrome”
Exit your Chrome browser and reopen it to complete the update.

Google was forced to deal with another Chrome zero-day vulnerability in October of last year, when its Project Zero security team discovered that hackers were exploiting the bug to attack Chrome users’ systems.

The vulnerability, a memory corruption bug in the FreeType font-rendering library, prompted the tech giant to release the Chrome OS 86.0.4240.112 update, which addressed the detected zero-day security flaw on Google Chromebooks.

Having only graduated from City University in 2019, Sabina has already demonstrated her abilities as a keen writer and effective journalist. Currently a content writer for Drapers, Sabina spent a number of years writing for ITPro, specialising in networking and telecommunications, as well as charting the efforts of technology companies to improve their inclusion and diversity strategies, a topic close to her heart.

Sabina has also held a number of editorial roles at Harper's Bazaar, Cube Collective, and HighClouds.