Google has mirrored Mozilla’s actions after it bolstered Chrome’s security with a plan to block vulnerable plug-ins from launching.
“We’re working on tackling the problem of out-of-date plug-ins, starting with the two most widely used and targeted plug-ins,” a Google spokesperson told eWEEK. “Adobe Flash now ships with Chrome and is automatically kept up-to-date with Chrome’s powerful auto-update. And in our latest developer builds, PDF files are rendered internally by Chrome. The PDF solution will also be auto-updated and already runs inside the Chromium sandbox.”
The move by Google mirrors what Mozilla has been doing with Firefox. Mozilla started to check Adobe Flash Player plug-ins in fall 2009, and now checks a number of other plug-ins as well. If the plug-ins are out of date, they are blocked from loading.
Google did not say when the plug-in protection would make its way into Chrome, but it has already added the ability to disable individual plug-ins as well as to operate in a “domain whitelist” mode where only trusted domains are permitted to load plug-ins.
In addition, Google has included Adobe Flash with Chrome, a move that will allow the browser’s auto-update feature to minimise the window of risk for patched vulnerabilities.
“We’re seeing a remarkable swing towards attacks that target pieces of browsing infrastructure such as plug-ins,” members of Google’s Security Team posted on the company’s Chromium blog. “This may be because browsers are taking the lead on auto-update and sandboxing. Since many plug-ins are ubiquitous, they pose the most significant risk to our user base.”
CMA receives 'provisional recommendation' from independent inquiry that Apple,Google mobile ecosystem needs investigation
Government minister flatly rejects Elon Musk's “unsurprising” allegation that Australian government seeks control of Internet…
Northvolt files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States, and CEO and co-founder…
Targetting AWS, Microsoft? British competition regulator soon to announce “behavioural” remedies for cloud sector
Move to Elon Musk rival. Former senior executive at X joins Sam Altman's venture formerly…
Bitcoin price rises towards $100,000, amid investor optimism of friendlier US regulatory landscape under Donald…