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Does this urgent 'Chrome' update apply to Mac?

P

Peter Franks

macrumors 68020
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Jun 9, 2011
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News sites telling all to update the browser due to security etc. But I switched on today and opened browser and it says 'Google Chrome is up to date'. So wonder if it's just a Windows thing? Anyone know. I've searched but can't find anything.

And yes I know Chrome is CPU mental, but Safari is just not cutting it in any way. I have exactly the same ad blockers on Safari as I do on Chrome, and yet Safari lets loads of pop ups and ads downpour on exactly the same sites, so I'm really un-impressed with it. Unless there's something I don't know? But I find it really unsafe to use and have no confidence in it if it lets so much in that Chrome always blocks.

Thanks
 
Peter Franks said:
News sites telling all to update the browser due to security etc. But I switched on today and opened browser and it says 'Google Chrome is up to date'. So wonder if it's just a Windows thing? Anyone know. I've searched but can't find anything.
Click to expand...
Chrome silently updates itself, and Windows and Mac are on the same version so you should assume the security risk applies to both.
 
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Assumed it asked for permission, or would even pop up with a ‘it’s been updated’ type message. They made such a big deal about updating this today on the news I assumed we had to physically do it, the way they were talking. Thanks.

If anyone has any way of lowering the pop-ups and the infiltration of pages on Safari, or intrusive downloads from certain sites, please share. I don’t get that problem on Chrome, using the same apps for blockers. But as we all know the ‘google helpers’ are in no way helping fan and cpu issues.
 
Semantically, this bug was known to only being exploited on Windows 7 platforms via a separate Windows zero-day exploit. That said, every platform Chrome is on is vulnerable until updated.

To remediate the Chrome vulnerability (CVE-2019-5786), Google released an update for all Chrome platforms on March 1; this update was pushed through Chrome auto-update. We encourage users to verify that Chrome auto-update has already updated Chrome to 72.0.3626.121 or later.
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https://security.googleblog.com/2019/03/disclosing-vulnerabilities-to-protect.html

ADD: appears that iOS might not be vulnerable, as that version is well below all other platforms.
 
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StellarVixen said:
Looks like it is specifically Windows 32-bit threat, but yeah, as member above said, you probably allowed Chrome to update itself automatically.
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Shouldn’t it ask for password to install anything? Or is is just set to auto unless you change it. I usually change to ask permission if it’s there.

NoBoMac said:
Semantically, this bug was known to only being exploited on Windows 7 platforms via a separate Windows zero-day exploit. That said, every platform Chrome is on is vulnerable until updated.



https://security.googleblog.com/2019/03/disclosing-vulnerabilities-to-protect.html

ADD: appears that iOS might not be vulnerable, as that version is well below all other platforms.
Click to expand...

I am sure I read it’s specific to desktop only.

Can I read into this that most feel Safari is as poor as I do then? Or aren’t overly happy with it?
 
On both the Mac and the iPad, use Safari about 90 percent of the time and Chrome about 10 percent. I also dabble in the Tor browser on the Mac now and then and a bit in Ghostery on the iPad.

Nothing actually bothers me in Safari, so I don't feel compelled to look elsewhere at this time.
 
Yeh, I don't have a problem with Safari on iPad/iPhone, it's only the MBP. I use Safari for YouTube, despite it's non moving previews, unlike Chrome, only because of the CPU/fan problem, but not much else is it great for. Not aware of Tor, I'll have a look. Also, I'll try to describe the problem I get on both browsers, when I move page and it breaks up and leaves half the page there, delayed. I get that on both, and the white lines through some pics as well. Memory is 8GB so it shouldn't really be that, but never had the delay pre Sierra/H Sierra.
 
Peter Franks said:
Shouldn’t it ask for password to install anything? Or is is just set to auto unless you change it. I usually change to ask permission if it’s there.
Click to expand...
Google’s updater will not prompt for permission to update.
 
NoBoMac said:
Chrome for Android is affected as well.

https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2019/03/chrome-for-android-update.html

Re: Safari vs Chrome: happy with Safari. I use Chrome for when I need to access Google services via browser (ie. Photos, Drive, and want to setup/modify mail filters).
Click to expand...

The UK news got that wrong then

chrfr said:
Google’s updater will not prompt for permission to update.
Click to expand...

That's interesting, Is that across the board, because every article says manually update it, then restart it. Mind you having said that, the Mac install updates on the App store, I set to ask me first, and it still downloads them, but now just ask for permission to install them
 
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