Topic
Google Chrome
Google Chrome Update Patches 37 Vulnerabilities Including Seven Critical Flaws
Vulnerabilities & Exploits
Merkle Tree Certificates Proposed to Enable Lightweight Post-Quantum HTTPS in Chrome
Policy & Regulation
Google Chrome Prepares Deferred Restart Feature to Apply Security Updates Without Disruption
Vulnerabilities & ExploitsGoogle Patches Actively Exploited V8 Zero-Day in Chrome (CVE-2026-85046)
Google has released an urgent update for Chrome to address CVE-2026-85046, a high-severity zero-day vulnerability in the V8 JavaScript and WebAssembly engine that is being actively exploited in the wild. The flaw is a type confusion issue tied to the Maglev compiler and optimizations around Array.prototype.sort, which can lead to arbitrary memory read and write primitives inside the JavaScript heap. Successful exploitation allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code within the browser sandbox after a victim visits a specially crafted HTML page, a technique commonly seen in malvertising and compromised-site campaigns. The fix is included in Chrome 152.0.7977.82 and later for Windows, macOS, and Linux, and the update also resolves a total of twelve vulnerabilities. The vulnerability was reported on 4 August 2026 by researcher Salvatore Gulizia, known as Serotav, who received a $1,000 reward. Other Chromium-based browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Brave, Opera, and Vivaldi will require corresponding updates from their respective vendors.
Google Chrome Tests Visible Global Privacy Control Toggle in Canary
Google is testing a new visible toggle for Global Privacy Control in Chrome Canary that lets users send a standardized request asking websites not to sell or share their personal data and not to use it for targeted advertising. When enabled, the browser adds the Sec-GPC: 1 header to web requests and exposes the setting via navigator.globalPrivacyControl. In regions with supporting laws such as California's CCPA, the signal can serve as a formal opt-out from data sales. The feature currently appears primarily on Android, with experimental flags available on Windows, macOS, Linux, and ChromeOS, though the desktop interface remains incomplete. Two separate flags are required—one to show the toggle and another to actually transmit the signal—because enabling only the UI does not send Sec-GPC: 1. The mechanism is not a guaranteed enforcement tool; websites decide how to respond, and effectiveness depends on legal frameworks and site compliance. The feature is absent from the stable Chrome release and may still change before wider rollout.
Browser Privacy Ranking 2026: Tor Browser Leads at 9.5 While Chrome and Yandex Rank Lowest
SecurityLab.ru has published a detailed 2026 browser privacy ranking that evaluates major browsers across six criteria including initial network behavior, site isolation, fingerprint resistance, funding model, configurability, and code auditability. Tor Browser scores highest at 9.5 for its comprehensive protections including unified fingerprinting and layered JavaScript controls, followed by Mullvad Browser at 9.0 and LibreWolf at 8.5. Brave earns 7.5 for built-in tracker blocking but faces criticism over default telemetry and cryptocurrency features. Firefox scores 6.0 out of the box yet reaches 8.5 after extensive configuration, while Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Opera, and Yandex Browser occupy the bottom positions due to persistent tracking mechanisms and closed-source components. The report also highlights the Local Mess localhost tracking technique used by Meta and Yandex that bypassed browser isolation entirely.
Ruthenium: Custom Chromium Build for Android Adds Russian Trusted Root CA Support
A developer has released Ruthenium, a modified Chromium browser for Android that embeds the Russian Trusted Root CA certificate issued by the Ministry of Digital Development. The build restricts trust to .ru and .рф domains only, avoiding changes to the system-wide Android certificate store. The project patches four Chromium source files to include the root with DNS constraints via CertWithConstraints, disables Google sign-in by default, and removes XR-related code for successful compilation. Ruthenium uses the official Chromium TLS verification logic without introducing a custom verifier. The APK is distributed with SHA-256 checksums, build metadata, and reproducible release tags tied to the exact Chromium revision and certificate digest. Users can install it alongside stock Chrome and use it selectively for Russian government and banking sites that rely on the state root.