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Chrome
HTTPS Lock Icon Present but List of Visited Sites Remains Visible
Privacy & Surveillance
Google Patches Two Critical Memory Corruption Flaws in Chrome WebGL and Dawn Components
Vulnerabilities & Exploits
Google Releases Chrome Security Update Fixing 15 Vulnerabilities Including Two Critical Flaws
Vulnerabilities & ExploitsTop Cybersecurity Stories of the Week: WordPress XSS Flaw, Microsoft Patch Tuesday, Cisco Zero-Day and More
Security NEXT has published its weekly ranking of the most viewed articles between August 9 and August 15 2026. The list is dominated by critical vulnerabilities affecting widely deployed platforms including WordPress, Microsoft products, Cisco networking gear and Fortinet FortiOS. A cross-site scripting issue in the WordPress login screen and a remote code execution flaw in WordPress 7.0.4 both received immediate patches. Microsoft released updates addressing more than 400 vulnerabilities, while Cisco disclosed a zero-day denial-of-service flaw in its SSL VPN implementation. Additional high-impact issues were reported in FortiOS, Google Chrome, Zoom and Jenkins, prompting urgent remediation guidance from vendors.
Compromised Chromium Extensions Push Malware Through Fake Critical Update Alerts
Users of Chromium-based browsers including Chrome, Brave, and Opera have encountered persistent pop-up windows demanding immediate browser updates. These alerts originate from compromised extensions that dynamically load malicious VBS scripts or EXE files instead of delivering legitimate updates. The deceptive messages appear during normal browsing and instruct users to download and manually execute suspicious files. Earlier incidents were traced to the QuickLens extension, while current reports implicate Enable Right Click & Copy Smart Unlock + OCR and similar utilities still available in the Chrome Web Store. Attackers achieve persistence by purchasing popular extensions or hijacking developer accounts to push malicious updates. Full system scans often fail to detect the threat because the browser itself remains clean until the user triggers the payload. Security experts recommend verifying updates exclusively through the browser's built-in menu rather than clicking any on-screen prompts.
Google Chrome Blocks Over 7 Billion Unwanted Notifications Daily on Android
Google reported that its Chrome protection systems blocked more than 7 billion unwanted notifications every day on Android during the first quarter of 2026. Websites increasingly use browser notifications to deliver phishing attempts, fraudulent payment requests, and malware. Chrome applies a multi-layer "Swiss cheese" defense model where several overlapping filters compensate for each other's weaknesses. The browser automatically revokes notification permissions from sites that have not been visited recently or that trigger repeated security warnings, and it can also cancel associated subscriptions. For particularly noisy resources, Chrome enforces a hard limit of 1,000 messages per minute and returns HTTP 429 responses to excess traffic. Google also made permission prompts less intrusive on Android, which reduced background activity and improved battery life. Users can review and manage notification permissions through Safety Hub on both desktop and mobile versions of Chrome.
Google Releases Chrome 151 Fixing 41 Vulnerabilities Including Six Critical Flaws
Google has issued Chrome 151 to address 41 security vulnerabilities, six of which are rated critical and could lead to memory corruption, browser crashes, and remote code execution. The update covers Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms with versions 151.0.7922.108 and 151.0.7922.109. Two use-after-free flaws in the WebGL component, tracked as CVE-2026-19137 and CVE-2026-19170, allow continued memory access after deallocation. Additional critical issues affect the Aura, Skia, Views, and ANGLE components under CVE-2026-19149, CVE-2026-19154, CVE-2026-19172, and CVE-2026-19157. Google has withheld technical details and proof-of-concept code for several flaws to limit exploitation while the rollout completes. Users are advised to check for updates immediately through the browser's About section.
Top 10 Security Stories: WordPress XSS Flaw, PHP Vulnerabilities, and VMware ESX Issues Lead Weekly Roundup
Security NEXT has published its weekly ranking of the most viewed articles for the period from August 2 to August 8, 2026. The list highlights critical vulnerabilities affecting widely used platforms including WordPress, PHP, pgAdmin 4, VMware ESX, and Chrome. Several entries focus on newly released security updates and ongoing exploitation warnings issued by US authorities. The ranking also includes real-world incidents such as credit card skimming by employees and data leaks caused by phishing attacks. This weekly overview reflects the topics that drew the highest attention from the Japanese cybersecurity community during the specified week.
Chrome Adds On-Device Gemini Nano While Ask Gemini Sends Page Content to Google Cloud
Google has introduced an 'AI on device' toggle in Chrome settings that enables local execution of the Gemini Nano model directly on the user's computer. Several gigabytes of Gemini Nano weights are now stored in the browser profile directory and can run on CPU or GPU for tasks such as initial analysis of suspicious pages. Despite the local model being present, the user-facing 'Ask Gemini' feature does not use it and instead routes page content, URLs, and up to ten additional tabs to Google's cloud infrastructure. The company uses two distinct systems under the Gemini name: the cloud-based Ask Gemini / Gemini in Chrome service and the on-device Gemini Nano accessed only through internal APIs or by websites and extensions. When Enhanced Protection is enabled, results from the local Safe Browsing analysis may still be transmitted to Google Safe Browsing servers. The naming and interface choices have created confusion, as users cannot directly invoke the downloaded Gemini Nano model for tasks like summarizing open pages.
One Request, Five Observers: What Websites, Providers, DNS and VPNs Learn When Loading a Page
The article breaks down exactly what each participant in a typical web request can observe when a user visits a page over HTTPS. It examines the roles of the browser, DNS resolver, ISP, VPN service and the destination site itself, showing that each sees different pieces of metadata or content. HTTPS protects the page body and parameters from network observers, while Encrypted Client Hello and secure DNS further limit visibility of domain names. VPNs replace the user's home IP address with the VPN exit node but introduce a new trusted party that sees all traffic metadata. Browser fingerprinting, cookies and account logins often allow sites to re-identify users even after an IP change. The piece stresses that privacy tools must be chosen according to the specific threat model rather than relying on any single mechanism.
Google Releases Chrome Security Update Fixing 41 Vulnerabilities Including Six Critical Flaws
Google has issued a major security update for its Chrome browser addressing 41 vulnerabilities, six of which are rated Critical. The update covers Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms with new builds 151.0.7922.109 and 151.0.7922.108. Among the critical issues resolved is an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in ANGLE tracked as CVE-2026-19157. Five additional Critical Use After Free flaws were patched in WebGL, Aura, Skia, and Views components. The remaining 35 vulnerabilities received a High severity rating. Google plans a gradual rollout of the update over the coming days and weeks.
Weekly Roundup: Critical Vulnerabilities Hit VMware ESX, FortiOS, Chrome, fastjson, Cisco FMC and Ruby on Rails
Security NEXT published its list of the ten most-read articles for the week of July 26 to August 1, 2026. The ranking is dominated by high-severity vulnerabilities affecting widely deployed enterprise platforms. VMware released fixes for serious flaws in ESX and vCenter, while Fortinet confirmed active exploitation of vulnerabilities in FortiOS and VeloCloud Orchestrator. Google patched 370 security issues in Chrome, and a data-conversion library fastjson was found vulnerable with observed attacks. Apple shipped iOS 26.6 and iPadOS 26.6 containing fixes for 87 vulnerabilities, and Cisco warned that its Firewall Management Center is already being exploited. Additional patches addressed OpenAM, Node.js, and a critical flaw dubbed KindaRails2Shell in Ruby on Rails. The list also includes a breach at an ANA Group e-commerce site that may have exposed customer data.
Google Releases Chrome Security Update Fixing 370 Vulnerabilities Including Seven Critical Issues
Google has issued a major security update for Chrome that addresses a total of 370 vulnerabilities across Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms. The update covers Chrome versions 151.0.7922.72 and 151.0.7922.71 and includes seven vulnerabilities rated Critical, the highest severity level. Among the critical flaws are multiple Use After Free issues affecting Compositing, Views, Skia, and Ozone components, plus input validation problems in Dawn and ANGLE graphics libraries and a race condition in the Updater component. In addition to the critical fixes, the release patches 71 High-severity vulnerabilities, 170 Medium-severity issues, and 122 Low-severity issues. The company plans a gradual rollout over the coming days and weeks. All listed CVEs from CVE-2026-17650 through CVE-2026-18019 have been resolved in this update.
Google Releases Fifth Chrome Security Update in July, Addressing Four High-Severity Vulnerabilities
Google has issued the fifth security update for its Chrome browser in July 2026, releasing patches for four high-severity vulnerabilities. The update, published on July 23, 2026, includes versions Chrome 150.0.7871.187 and 150.0.7871.186 for Windows and macOS, along with Chrome 150.0.7871.186 for Linux. This follows previous July updates that fixed 27 issues on July 8, 15 on July 14, 7 on July 16, and 12 on July 21. The four newly addressed flaws, reported between late May and mid-June, all carry a High severity rating. They include an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in the codec component tracked as CVE-2026-16807, plus three Use After Free issues in WebMCP (CVE-2026-16806), the Blink rendering engine (CVE-2026-16805), and input processing (CVE-2026-16804).
Weekly Roundup Highlights Critical Vulnerabilities in Zoom, nginx, SonicWall, and Microsoft Products
Security NEXT published its weekly ranking of the most-read articles for the period of July 12 to July 18, 2026. The top story covered a serious vulnerability in the Windows version of Zoom that has already been fixed in the latest release. Other high-ranking items included a cyber attack that disrupted operations at Nichirei and affected frozen food shipments, as well as Microsoft’s monthly security update addressing more than 500 vulnerabilities including zero-days. Additional widely read reports detailed multiple flaws in nginx, a zero-day issue affecting SonicWall SMA1000 series appliances, and a data exposure investigation involving a TV Asahi subsidiary. The list also featured advisories on GNU Wget SSRF flaws, privilege escalation bugs in Microsoft Defender, and 15 security fixes for Chrome including two rated critical.
Google Issues Emergency Chrome Update Patching Seven Vulnerabilities Including Three Critical Flaws
Google has released a new security update for its Chrome browser addressing seven vulnerabilities just two days after the previous patch. The update covers Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms with versions Chrome 150.0.7871.129 and 150.0.7871.128. Three of the issues, tracked as CVE-2026-15899, CVE-2026-15900, and CVE-2026-15901, received the highest severity rating of Critical and involve Use After Free flaws in CameraCapture, GPU, and Network components. Four additional High-severity vulnerabilities were also fixed, including an out-of-bounds access issue in the V8 JavaScript engine and Use After Free problems in Cast, Ozone, and Aura. The company plans to roll out the patches gradually over the coming days and weeks to all users.