Latest news with #GoogleChrome
Forbes
a day ago
- Forbes
Google Chrome Security Warning — 19 Days To Update Deadline Issued
Update Google Chrome now. With the cybersecurity world's focus firmly on Microsoft and the ongoing SharePoint Server hacking fiasco, you might have forgotten that another technology giant, Google, still has its own security problems. Yes, I'm talking about the Google Chrome web browser, and the latest brace of confirmed vulnerabilities. As well as the two new high-severity and highly concerning security issues impacting Chrome users, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has referenced yet another already-exploited vulnerability, as it urges all users to update before August 12. Here's what you need to know and do. Google Chrome 138 Security Update Confirmed The Google Chrome browser is not unsafe. There, I've got that out of the way. Just because security vulnerabilities are discovered more often than spots on my back does not make Chrome insecure; there's a pretty strong argument to suggest the opposite. The fact that so many eyes are on the browser, that so many people find and disclose these vulnerabilities before threat actors do, can be interpreted as a good thing, as it means that Google can fix them. Sadly, that isn't going to cut the mustard with your average user who only sees that another security vulnerability has been found, another weakness that could lead to them being under attack. The latest confirmation comes from Google Chrome's Srinivas Sista in a July 22 posting, with two security vulnerabilities, both given a high-severity rating, being found by external security researchers. CVE-2025-8010 and CVE-2025-8011 are both type confusion vulnerabilities in the Chrome V8 JavaScript engine. These are problematic, to say the least, as an exploit of the same could lead to the possibility of arbitrary code execution within the browser. As such, Google is rolling out an update to all users that takes Chrome to 138.0.7204.168/.169 for Windows, Mac and 138.0.7204.168 for Linux, across the coming days and weeks. Don't delay, make sure you have updated today rather than waiting for it to reach you. Head for Settings|Help|About Google Chrome to kickstart the update process, and don't forget to relaunch the browser to activate the patched browser. Google Chrome Update Deadline — 19 Days To Act When it comes to the CISA warning that comes with an August 12 deadline to update the Google Chrome browser, this actually concerns an earlier vulnerability of the zero-day variety. Yep, one that is under active exploitation, hence the addition to the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which triggers a mandatory 21-day update deadline for certain Federal Civilian Executive Branch agencies. Now, don't go thinking that this has nothing to do with you or your organization if you fall outside of that mandatory remit, because you would be foolish not to heed the CISA advice. 'CISA strongly urges all organizations to reduce their exposure to cyberattacks by prioritizing timely remediation of KEV Catalog vulnerabilities as part of their vulnerability management practice,' the July 22 posting said. I've said it before, and I will keep on saying it: do not wait, update Google Chrome and relaunch the browser whenever any security vulnerabilities have been confirmed. You know it makes sense.
The Hindu
a day ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Alphabet earnings shine with help of AI; Tesla profits drop; Microsoft server hack has hit 400 victims
Google's parent company Alphabet has reported their quarterly results that exceeded analyst expectations owing to AI helping all segments of their business. The second-quarter profit posted was of $28.2 billion on revenue generated of $96.4 billion and another $10 billion added to its capital expenditure that had been earlier planned. CEO Sundar Pichai said that there was robust growth shown with new additions in search like AI Overviews and AI mode 'performing well.' Ad revenue from YouTube also continued to grow with the platform's subscription services. Alphabet shares climbed by nearly 2% in after-market trades post the earnings were released. The steep expenses devoted for AI tech has been worrying for investors who are keeping an eye on how much AI summaries in search will convert into fewer opportunities to make ads. Meanwhile, Google is also battling lawsuits including a U.S. antitrust case against its online ad and search businesses. The decision on the online search business is pending with a decision expected within the coming days or weeks. The U.S. Department of Justice has already suggested solutions including divesting Chrome and banning exclusive deals with smartphone manufacturers like the one with Apple to set Google Chrome as the default search engine. In the online ad market case too, Google was found to run a monopoly. The company is planning to appeal both the cases. Tesla profits drop Tesla has reported another fall in their quarterly profits as CEO Elon Musk warned that the EV maker could be facing 'rough' quarters after Trump cancelled the big fiscal package that would give federal tax credits to EVs. He said that while Tesla was still in a place to have long-term profitability, the company will be facing a tough period in the between. He also added that once Tesla achieved autonomy at scale, by the second-half od 2026, the company's economics would be sorted. The company reported second-quarter profits of $1.2 billion, down by 16% from a year ago while revenue fell by 12% to $22.5 billion. The revenue was also affected by lower vehicle selling prices and higher operating expenses due to AI and other research. Musk did not offer an outlook for the full year due to changing trade and fiscal policies. Last month, Tesla launched a robotaxi service in Texas capital Austin, the first fully autonomous launch after multiple delays. Musk also teased the need for a cheaper vehicle. Previously, the company said they started making a 'more affordable model' in June while pushing more volume in the second half of the year. Musk's bitter fall out with Trump led to him announcing a new political party called the 'America Party.' Trump responded to the news with threats to deport Musk and revoke his government contracts. Microsoft server hack has hit 400 victims Researchers from a Netherlands-based firm called Eye Security have said that the vulnerable versions of Microsoft's server software have now impacted 400 victims. The firm has also said that the actual figures maybe more than this. Over the weekend, it was estimated that 100 organisations had been affected by the cyberattack. The campaign was initiated after Microsoft failed to patch a security vulnerability that had been discovered in their SharePoint server software. The company later confirmed that Chinese hacker groups were found to have taken advantage of the security flaw. Beijing however, has refuted the claim. It is still unknown as to who began the attack and which organisations are victims. Chief hacker of Eye Security, Vaisha Bernard has said that there are 'many more' organisations because not all attack vectors have left artifacts that can be scanned.
Forbes
a day ago
- Forbes
Microsoft Windows AI Upgrade—2 Reasons To Change Your Browser
Should you change your browser? Microsoft wants Windows users to stop using Google Chrome and switch to Edge. This browser battle will only end when new AI browsers disrupt the market. Meanwhile, Microsoft's latest Windows upgrades have just given users two reasons to change their browser. One is unsurprising, but the other is much more critical for millions of users. Microsoft has frequently used its control of Windows to market Edge to users installing or updating Chrome. It has even hidden Chrome and changed the look and feel of Edge to match. But above all, it has promoted Edge as a better, safer alternative. It has just done so again, hyping Edge as 'the only browser built for Windows, offering the most seamless PC browsing experience with AI-powered tools, productivity features, and built-in performance and security features that help you browse quickly and safely.' Security messages are controversial — in the past Microsoft has even used attack warnings to push Edge over Chrome as a better means to protect Windows. But the primary focus here is AI, and the seamless integration between Edge and Windows. And AI is also behind the second 'change your browser' message. This is all about Recall. The Windows 11 photographic memory that continually screenshots everything a user does on screen and then optically reads and indexes all that content, which is then stored in a searchable repository stored on the local device. Recall V1 was itself recalled due to security and privacy concerns. It has now relaunched with better redaction for sensitive data and storage protection, but still with huge gaps. Even secure messages on a Windows screen will be screenshot and stored, which is highly controversial. Signal has manipulated Microsoft DRM technology to prevent its own app from being captured by Recall's all-seeing eye. And on the browser front Brave has done the same. 'Recall is back, and Brave is ready for it,' the secure browser's developers have just posted. 'We will disable it by default for Windows 11+ users, with a toggle to turn it back on for users who really want Recall.' One of the protections Microsoft has added to Recall covers private browsing. 'Many web browsers support a concept of "InPrivate" browsing, where the user's history does not get saved.' And so 'to make sure that Recall doesn't save a user's browsing history,' Microsoft offers developers a 'SetInputScope' function to mark windows as privacy. And Brave has done exactly that. 'We've extended that logic to apply to all Brave browser windows' its developers explain. 'We tell the operating system that every Brave tab is 'private', so Recall never captures it.' Brave has just under 2% of the desktop browser market, whereas Chrome has just under 70%. If Google really wants to send a privacy salvo over to Microsoft, it could now do the same. Absent that, users who actually want Recall but also want to protect their browsing from its gaze, now have an option to do exactly that.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Alphabet will seek to reassure investors as AI rivals step up competition
Alphabet , faced with unprecedented threats from AI rivals, will be keen to assure investors this week that the company's own spending on the technology is helping it dig a deeper moat around its search and advertising businesses. Rivals of the Google parent, including AI startups such as OpenAI and Perplexity , have attracted tens of millions of users to their platforms. They are looking to break Google Chrome's dominance with their own browsers, even as a U.S. court weighs breaking up the tech company with remedies that may include a forced Chrome sale. To maintain its grip, Alphabet has rolled out tools such as AI Overviews , which show AI-generated summaries on top of traditional links that have drawn 1.5 billion users per month, and made more Gemini models available to enterprise users. The integration of AI into Google search is key to its advertising appeal, as it offers advertisers the ability to run more effective campaigns and get bigger returns on their dollars. In March, Google added a new AI-only mode to its search. Alphabet, scheduled to report second-quarter results on Wednesday, has also staged a coup, securing rival OpenAI as a customer for its cloud business. "AI targeting advantages and increasing ad loads in AI Overviews could drive ad performance above traditional search," BofA Global Research analysts said. THE CONTEXT Wall Street has been looking for returns from Big Tech's AI spending spree that is expected to total $320 billion this year. Google reassured investors in late April with better-than-expected first-quarter earnings that were powered by AI demand. But OpenAI and Perplexity's launch of their own browsers has intensified pressure on Google's search business, which was already under strain from AI chatbots pulling away queries. "As those (AI) companies deploy their browsers, that'll take more searches away from Google. But the bigger threat will be when those companies have enough of a user base that they start selling advertising," said D.A. Davidson analyst Gil Luria. "It's only when Google loses advertisers that the revenue is going to be impacted." Also, Alphabet's Waymo , the early U.S. leader in autonomous cabs and often overlooked during earnings, is likely to draw more attention as Elon Musk's Tesla rolls out a test fleet in Austin, Texas. THE FUNDAMENTALS Alphabet is expected to report a near 11% jump in total revenue for the second quarter, per LSEG data. Analysts expect a 7.5% rise in advertising revenue and a 26.2% jump in its cloud computing segment. Per-share earnings are expected to be around $2.18, excluding one-off items. WALL STREET SENTIMENT Alphabet shares are largely flat so far this year. Stock is among the laggards in the " Magnificent Seven " group of megacap stocks, with Nvidia leading the range with a 28% jump and Tesla at the bottom with a 19% decline. Alphabet is rated "buy" on average among 55 brokerages, with a median price target of $203.84.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Alphabet will seek to reassure investors as AI rivals step up competition
Alphabet, faced with unprecedented threats from AI rivals, will be keen to assure investors this week that the company's own spending on the technology is helping it dig a deeper moat around its search and advertising businesses. Rivals of the Google parent, including AI startups such as OpenAI and Perplexity, have attracted tens of millions of users to their platforms. They are looking to break Google Chrome's dominance with their own browsers, even as a U.S. court weighs breaking up the tech company with remedies that may include a forced Chrome sale. To maintain its grip, Alphabet has rolled out tools such as AI Overviews, which show AI-generated summaries on top of traditional links that have drawn 1.5 billion users per month, and made more Gemini models available to enterprise users. The integration of AI into Google search is key to its advertising appeal, as it offers advertisers the ability to run more effective campaigns and get bigger returns on their dollars. In March, Google added a new AI-only mode to its search. Alphabet, scheduled to report second-quarter results on Wednesday, has also staged a coup, securing rival OpenAI as a customer for its cloud business. "AI targeting advantages and increasing ad loads in AI Overviews could drive ad performance above traditional search," BofA Global Research analysts said. THE CONTEXT Wall Street has been looking for returns from Big Tech's AI spending spree that is expected to total $320 billion this year. Google reassured investors in late April with better-than-expected first-quarter earnings that were powered by AI demand. But OpenAI and Perplexity's launch of their own browsers has intensified pressure on Google's search business, which was already under strain from AI chatbots pulling away queries. "As those (AI) companies deploy their browsers, that'll take more searches away from Google. But the bigger threat will be when those companies have enough of a user base that they start selling advertising," said D.A. Davidson analyst Gil Luria. "It's only when Google loses advertisers that the revenue is going to be impacted." Also, Alphabet's Waymo, the early U.S. leader in autonomous cabs and often overlooked during earnings, is likely to draw more attention as Elon Musk's Tesla rolls out a test fleet in Austin, Texas. THE FUNDAMENTALS ** Alphabet is expected to report a near 11% jump in total revenue for the second quarter, per LSEG data. ** Analysts expect a 7.5% rise in advertising revenue and a 26.2% jump in its cloud computing segment. ** Per-share earnings are expected to be around $2.18, excluding one-off items. WALL STREET SENTIMENT ** Alphabet shares are largely flat so far this year. ** Stock is among the laggards in the "Magnificent Seven" group of megacap stocks, with Nvidia leading the range with a 28% jump and Tesla at the bottom with a 19% decline. ** Alphabet is rated "buy" on average among 55 brokerages, with a median price target of $203.84.
