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Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) have sounded alarms for Android devices and Google Chrome users. These devices are in danger with security flaws that may make millions of systems vulnerable to either hacking or cyberattacks. There are several flaws identified, having their origin in the system components of Google Chrome and Android OS. All of them can be plugged in to take over the affected systems. The vulnerabilities are classified as high-risk severity and hence may allow cybercriminals to execute malicious code.
What’s the Risk?
According to CERT-In, several critical vulnerabilities are reported in different variants of Google Chrome and the Android OS. These flaws could lead the attackers to take over their devices through one weakness or another, either in system components or tricks set by users to visit websites loaded with malware or download apps corrupted with malware. If successful, such cyber attackers could have dumped sensitive information from the system, including the chances to lock the users out of their systems or a point to put malicious software on them too.
Vulnerabilities within Google Chrome
According to the alerts, Google Chrome shows such vulnerabilities as Integer Overflow, inappropriate implementation of the V8 JavaScript engine, and Type Confusion. Whoever visited a particular rogue website may have been assessed through these vulnerabilities, which could allow these hackers something even worse. The existing versions of Chrome working on Windows, Mac, and Linux are so far compromised.
Android Users Are Not Left Unaffected
Android users are not excluded. Such problems have been highlighted by the warning issued by CERT-In underlining multiple vulnerabilities afflicting various Android versions, including Android 12, 12L, 13, 14, and 15. Vulnerabilities affected one or more critical Android components like Framework, Systemamp, and MediaTek and Qualcomm subcomponents. Exploiting these could allow an attacker to achieve elevated privileges, potentially either compromising personal data or locking them out from devices.
How to Protect Yourself
Despite the heightened risks, CERT-In recommends immediate steps to safeguard systems from attack. A user should install updates on their device immediately after the respective distribution by Google and other manufacturers.
In the case of Google Chrome, ensure that the app is updated to the newest version. For Windows and Mac, the latest stable version is 129.0.6668.100 and for Linux is 129.0.6668.89. Always check updates in 'About' in Chrome and apply any patches that might be available.
In the case of the Android system, Google is releasing security patch updates depending on affected versions. All Android users should regularly navigate through their device settings to check for any system updates and install them anytime patches become available. Such regular updates ensure that they can safeguard devices from any cyber threats.