Update Your Chrome Browser, But Be Wary of Fake Alerts

Google Chrome has been pushing a lot of important updates over the last few weeks. Fortunately, updating Chrome is pretty seamless, and it’s important that users do so. Users also need to be wary of fake Chrome errors that insist on installing malware. You don’t want to fall for this scam!

Keep Google Chrome Updated

Google has been issuing some pretty high-severity updates over the last few months to its popular Chrome browser. One of the biggest ones was rolled out in May 2024. This update fixed at least four zero-day vulnerabilities that were being exploited by cybercriminals. The patch also fixed several other vulnerabilities, so it was a pretty big deal compared to most of Chrome’s regular updates.

The biggest problem with certain Google Chrome security vulnerabilities is that other browsers, including Microsoft Edge, use Chromium, which is sort of the underlying code of Chrome. If Chrome has a vulnerability, other browsers that use Chromium are also at risk. Since Microsoft Edge is so deeply embedded into Windows, it poses additional security risks and can give attackers more access to cause harm.

That isn’t to say that Google Chrome is inherently less secure than other browsers, but if you don’t keep your browser up to date, you open yourself up to these security risks.

How to Update Your Google Chrome Browser

Fortunately, it’s easy to run an update when one is available. For most default installations of Chrome, be on the lookout for a notification near your address bar stating that a new update is available for Google Chrome. It typically displays on the top-right of your browser window.

Clicking that will relaunch Chrome (the process only takes a few seconds) and you’ll be back to normal. Chrome will remember all of your open windows and tabs so it shouldn’t interrupt your work for more than the few seconds it takes to close everything and open everything back up.

You can also check to see if an update is available by clicking the three-dot icon at the top right of your browser and going to Help > About Google Chrome. It will check to see if a new update is available and, once it’s ready, let you relaunch.

Be Wary of Fake Google Chrome Errors

A recent string of exploits have been going around the web designed to look like Google Chrome errors. A Google Chrome message box will pop up and say something along the lines of this:

Aw, Snap! Something went wrong while displaying this website.
To display this web page correctly, please install the root certificate.
Click the “Fix it” button and follow the further instructions.”

This fake error is actually attempting to get you to download malware. Note that you should only ever run updates to Google Chrome using the abovementioned method by clicking the three-dot icon > Help > About Google Chrome. 

When in doubt, checking in with your trusted IT department when something seems suspicious is a good idea. If you are feeling lost, don’t hesitate to call Washington Works at 301-571-5040.