Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), the cyber security agency of the Government of India, has issued a high-risk alert for internet users across the country. This warning is especially for those using Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox browsers. The agency said that many serious security vulnerabilities have been found in the outdated versions of these two browsers, which can be taken advantage of by cyber criminals.
What is the danger?
According to the report of CERT-In, older versions of Chrome and Firefox have vulnerabilities with the help of which hackers can infiltrate any user’s system. Through these flaws, they can steal user data, control the device remotely or install malware.
Bugs like “Use After Free”, “Integer overflow” and “Heap buffer overflow” have been found in older versions of Google Chrome. Due to these bugs, a malicious website or link may cause the browser to crash as soon as it is clicked or code may automatically run in the computer.
Mozilla Firefox has also been found to have serious bugs like “Cookie Storage Isolation”, “JavaScript JIT Error”, and “Graphics Overflow”. These errors are capable of accessing users’ browsing data and passwords.
Who is most at risk?
According to CERT-In, this threat is not limited to individual users only. Networks of government departments, private companies and banks can also be targeted. If outdated browsers run on a network, hackers can penetrate the entire system and steal sensitive information.
how to protect yourself
The government has advised Chrome and Firefox users to update their browsers immediately.
Google Chrome users – If your version is older than 137.0.7151.119 (Windows/Linux) or 137.0.7151.120 (macOS), update immediately.
Mozilla Firefox users – A security patch has been released in the latest version. Open “Menu → Help → About Firefox” in Firefox and install the update.
Do not click on suspicious websites or links. Always check before clicking any link in an unknown email or message.
Clean extensions. Remove extensions or add-ons you don’t use. Many times data is stolen through these.
Keep anti-virus and firewall active. Perform regular scans to ensure system security.
Why is it important to update
Browser updates not only provide new features but also fix security vulnerabilities. If a user does not update, his system becomes an easy target for hackers. Phishing and ransomware attacks have increased in the last few months, so it is important to be careful while using the internet.
