Google has patched the first zero day of the year for Chrome. Installing the new update immediately is the message, as the vulnerability is being actively exploited.
Google is making Chrome 98.0.4758.102 available for Windows, Mac and Linux, closing an important zero day. The vulnerability carries code CVE-2022-0609, and the search giant emphasized in a security advisory that the vulnerability is being actively exploited.
The update will be rolled out to everyone in the coming weeks, but you can also conveniently force the update yourself. Click on the three dots (options menu) at the top right and hover your mouse over Help. Choose About Google Chrome and check what version you have here. If the version does not match the one above, a button will appear with Update. Click this to make Chrome safe again and don’t forget to restart the Internet browser.
Last year, Chrome accounted for 16 zero days. Today, the first of 2022 rolls in. Earlier today, research team Google Project Zero reported that zero day vulnerabilities are being patched faster than ever. Last year, vendors responded on average within 52 days. Three years ago, it took an average of 80 days for a zero day vulnerability to be fixed.