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Serious vulnerability in Windows 7 / Google Chrome


msmcleod

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Saw this on the BBC news site:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-47494760

It links back to the following statement by Google:

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

Basically, anyone using Windows 7 should update Chrome immediately.

But Google are saying the issue runs deeper than Chrome - i.e. it's in Windows 7 itself.

Microsoft may issue a patch, but Google advising considering an upgrade to Windows 10.

Edited by msmcleod
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5 minutes ago, synkrotron said:

Yeah, I saw that too but didn't read it because I'm on 10

A crafy move, pehaps haha?

I know that a lot of peeps are holding off from "moving up" to W10...

Yeah, sounds like agenda driven BS to me. Anything google is a virus IMO.

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Chrome on my W7 PC?

Not blooming likely. Nothing Google is coming remotly near my laptop.

Well, it did for a short period, but I hated it and CCleanered it away, plus all the crap it left behind.

Thank heavens too for uBlock Origin.

Edited by JohnG
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Got tired of chrome putting pressure on my cpu and make my pc fans speed up and sound like a jetplane for long periods. Renamed a file and that worked for a day until chrome magically renamed it back.

Now i'm using Firefox. Nice, quiet and adfree.

Imported bookmarks and saved passwords from chrome and a little bit to my surprise Firefox have no problems logging in to my sites or viewing videos and listening to audio. I highly recommend Firefox.

PS. Hm..it seems i remember it wrong. You probably can't import/export passwords.

Edited by Kurre
Correction.
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12 hours ago, Notes_Norton said:

I just read in PC Magazine that everybody should update dump Chrome ASAP no matter what edition of Windows you are using.

It only takes a minute or two.

Insights and incites by Notes

Corrected.

Firefox plus uBlock (the origin version) is  are the one two at the moment.

Corrected.

Edited by JohnG
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Judging by some of the replies, I thought I'd clarify...

Windows 7 has a serious security vulnerability.

Google noticed it, as it was being exploited through their browser (no doubt via a suspect ad, or extension).

Google have made a fix in Chrome, so that the vulnerability can't be exploited within Chrome. So if you're using Windows 7 and the latest version of Chrome, you're protected within Chrome. So no need to upgrade to Win 10 if that's all you use.

However, they recognise that people use other browsers and apps, which aren't protected.

They've reported it to Microsoft in the hope they'll fix it. However if Microsoft don't fix it, they're saying you should consider upgrading to Win 10.

People who believe they have some sort of an agenda will believe what they want, however this sort of thing happens all the time.

During my day job, we are constantly checking for vulnerabilities, and issue patches regularly for the serious ones. Once a vulnerability is found, there's usually a test program, or a code example to check whether the vulnerability is an issue for your product.

There are many companies who, for logistic & financial reasons, cannot bulk upgrade their systems. Microsoft and Google appreciate this, which is why they make fixes and publish the information. 

Again, to clarify, their motivation here is to protect their customers, and of course themselves from lawsuits.

Edited by msmcleod
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Yep, probably all true, but it kind of implies that other companies, e.g. Mozilla, don't upgrade to protect against vulnerabilities.

I don't know whether they do or not, but I keep Firefox upgraded and I'm still on Win7pro.

Some of the hardware I use isn't compatible with Win10 and I haven't the money to spend on new stuff (pensioner).

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I've been hearing that this year is the last for support for Win 7 and that we should upgrade to Win 10 by January of 2020 to avoid security disasters.

Tell me, is it possible for me to upgrade to Windows 10 on my 6 year old laptop?  Or should I just consider replacing it?

BTW, I don't use the above mentioned laptop for music production, just general computing.

?John B.

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Of course Mozilla does upgrades to protect for vulnerabilities, but it doesn't look like they have yet for this one.

FWIW, I can't see anything in the Google blog that makes any such implication.

[Edit] - It looks like the details of the vulnerability haven't been made publicly available yet: https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2019-5786 , so unless Mozilla find it by themselves, they'll have to wait for the details before issuing a fix.

 

Edited by msmcleod
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Of course they aren't going to say that others don't upgrade, it's the unspoken implication "hey, you're good with US!"

I've heard that when you clear ALL cookies in Chrome it leaves the Google ones in place.

In Firefox, it clears them all, I double checked.

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26 minutes ago, JohnG said:

Of course they aren't going to say that others don't upgrade, it's the unspoken implication "hey, you're good with US!"

I've heard that when you clear ALL cookies in Chrome it leaves the Google ones in place.

In Firefox, it clears them all, I double checked.

haha - yeah, I've noticed that :) CCleaner does a proper job.

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Personally, I don't use Chrome except to check to see if my websites work on it.

I just don't like feeding google that much info about me. Now if they would give me 10% of what they sell my browsing habits for, I'd consider it ;)

I don't use Google for a search bot either, I use StartPage, it's private and non-tracking.

This all started many years ago when I bought some Etymotic Active Musician's Earplugs. They don't attenuate the volume until it gets loud, so unlike regular ear plugs, between songs I can still hear an audience member who doesn't speak clearly. They use hearing aid batteries, and I go through about 1 per week. I'm searching the web for some better priced batteries than the drug store, which I found for about .20 each, and all of a sudden I'm getting ads for hearing aids, adult diapers, compression socks, medicaid supplement plans, etc.

I quit using Google then, put a non-tracking extension on  FF,  and a few other privacy measures.

It's not that I go anywhere that is illegal or that I'd be embarrassed about. But what if I read about a terrorist attack in the news and want to know how they made the IED simply out of curiosity, will my search put me on the watch list?

Insights and incites by Notes

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2 hours ago, Notes_Norton said:

I don't use Google for a search bot either, I use StartPage, it's private and non-tracking.

This all started many years ago when I bought some Etymotic Active Musician's Earplugs. They don't attenuate the volume until it gets loud, so unlike regular ear plugs, between songs I can still hear an audience member who doesn't speak clearly. They use hearing aid batteries, and I go through about 1 per week. I'm searching the web for some better priced batteries than the drug store, which I found for about .20 each, and all of a sudden I'm getting ads for hearing aids, adult diapers, compression socks, medicaid supplement plans, etc.

I quit using Google then, put a non-tracking extension on  FF,  and a few other privacy measures.

Now, here in the UK I get my hearing aid batteries for free.

I'm not suggesting you move here, that might cost a decade's worth of batteries or significantly more. And then there's Brexit.

But there are certain advantages to the NHS system. Not many, I grant you, but free hearing aid batteries is one.

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In the UK it's decided upon whether or not it's considered a permanent disability.

My wife gets free thyroid replacement hormone therapy but would have to pay for, e.g. antibiotics. 

In my case, being retired and on a pension, most everything is covered.

There are some advantages to being old, very few, but one or two.

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In the UK, it's a total postcode lottery.

I'm extremely lucky to come under NHS Highland, but have the nearest hospitals in Glasgow.

I've never had to wait for any treatment, and of course in Scotland all prescriptions are free (but we pay a bit more tax for it!).

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