Meta patched two WhatsApp flaws affecting iOS, Android, and Windows users, including bugs tied to risky files, links, and Reels previews.
The post New WhatsApp Flaws Could Affect Billions of Users After Meta Security Patch appeared first on TechRepublic.
Google has released a critical security update for its Chrome desktop browser to address 30 security vulnerabilities, including four severe flaws that could enable Remote Code Execution (RCE) attacks.
The Stable channel has been updated to version 147.0.7727.137/138 for Windows and Mac, and to 147.0.7727.137 for Linux.
Google is rolling out this update gradually over the coming days and weeks to ensure a stable deployment.
The majority of the severe flaws patched in this release are “Us
Google has released a critical security update for its Chrome desktop browser to address 30 security vulnerabilities, including four severe flaws that could enable Remote Code Execution (RCE) attacks.
The Stable channel has been updated to version 147.0.7727.137/138 for Windows and Mac, and to 147.0.7727.137 for Linux.
Google is rolling out this update gradually over the coming days and weeks to ensure a stable deployment.
The majority of the severe flaws patched in this release are “Use-After-Free” memory vulnerabilities.
A Use-After-Free bug occurs when an application attempts to access memory space that has already been freed or deallocated.
This memory mismanagement can lead to unexpected browser crashes, severe data corruption, and, most dangerously, arbitrary code execution.
If successfully exploited, these vulnerabilities allow remote attackers to run malicious commands on a victim’s machine simply by convincing the user to visit a specially crafted malicious webpage.
This requires no additional user interaction and could allow hackers to bypass Chrome’s built-in sandbox protections, potentially compromising the underlying system.
Critical Chrome Vulnerabilities
Google is temporarily restricting access to specific bug details and exploit links until a vast majority of the user base has successfully applied the security patch.
This industry standard practice prevents threat actors from reverse-engineering fixes to launch attacks against unpatched, vulnerable systems.
Google awarded bug bounties to researchers, including $16,000 for a high-severity GPU flaw and $7,000 for a critical Canvas issue.
CVE-2026-7363 is a critical use-after-free vulnerability in the Canvas component, reported by heapracer, with a $7,000 bounty.
CVE-2026-7361 is a critical use-after-free vulnerability affecting iOS, reported by Google, with the bounty yet to be determined.
CVE-2026-7344 is a critical use-after-free vulnerability in the Accessibility component, reported by Google, with a pending bounty.
CVE-2026-7343 is a critical use-after-free vulnerability in the Views component, reported by Google, with a pending bounty.
CVE-2026-7333 is a high-severity use-after-free vulnerability in the GPU component, reported by c6eed09fc8b174b0f3eebedcceb1e792, with a $16,000 bounty.
To protect against potential exploitation, individuals and network administrators are strongly advised to update their Google Chrome browsers immediately.
Check for updates in Google Chrome via Help → About Google Chrome, then restart the browser to apply them. A quick browser restart is required to apply the latest protections fully.
Administrators managing enterprise environments should prioritize the rapid deployment of Chrome version 147.0.7727.137/138 across their networks to prevent potential intrusions.
Microsoft has officially rolled out its latest security intelligence update for Microsoft Defender Antivirus, delivering crucial protections for Windows 11, Windows 10, and Windows Server installation images.
This vital release ensures that Microsoft’s built-in antimalware solutions are fully equipped to identify and neutralize the most recent cybersecurity threats.
By continuously tweaking its underlying detection logic, Microsoft helps both organizations and everyday users defend against
Microsoft has officially rolled out its latest security intelligence update for Microsoft Defender Antivirus, delivering crucial protections for Windows 11, Windows 10, and Windows Server installation images.
By continuously tweaking its underlying detection logic, Microsoft helps both organizations and everyday users defend against a rapidly shifting threat landscape.
These security intelligence updates are a foundational element of Microsoft’s broader security strategy. They work seamlessly alongside cloud-based protection protocols to deliver exceptionally fast, AI-enhanced defense mechanisms.
When a new threat emerges globally, these regular definition updates ensure local machines can recognize the malware signature without delay.
The specific technical details for this update include:
Security intelligence version 1.447.209.0
Malware detection engine version 1.1.26020.3
Core platform version 4.18.26020.6
These updates encompass not only Microsoft Defender Antivirus but also other enterprise platforms, such as System Center Endpoint Protection, Windows Intune, and the Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset.
For the vast majority of consumer and business users, Windows Update automatically downloads and installs these security enhancements in the background.
This automated process is highly recommended as it minimizes the risk of exposure to new vulnerabilities. If automatic updates are disabled or encounter errors, users can easily trigger a manual download.
By navigating to the Virus & threat protection screen within the Windows Security application, users can forcefully check for and apply the newest patches.
Enterprise administrators overseeing large corporate networks have additional deployment flexibility. IT teams can clear outdated caches and push the latest intelligence updates across network devices using command-line tools.
Running specific MpCmdRun.exe commands as an administrator forces the system to remove old definitions and pull the newest signatures directly from Microsoft’s servers.
Manual Installers and Network Inspection
In highly secured or air-gapped environments with restricted internet access, security professionals can manually download the update executable files.
Microsoft provides tailored packages for specific system architectures, including standard 32-bit and 64-bit configurations and specialized ARM configurations.
Once downloaded, administrators run the executable to install the updated security intelligence manually. Additionally, Microsoft emphasized the importance of its Network Inspection System (NIS) updates.
These specialized updates intercept and neutralize sophisticated network-based threats, including active exploit attempts, while they are still in transit.
NIS updates are available for systems running Antimalware Client version 4.1.522.0 or newer, adding an essential layer of real-time defense for network traffic.
Microsoft is taking a major step to harden the Windows operating system against kernel-level threats by removing trust for drivers signed by the deprecated cross-signed root program.
Starting with the April 2026 update, Windows 11 and Windows Server 2025 will block these untrusted drivers by default.
This policy ensures that only drivers certified through the Windows Hardware Compatibility Program can load automatically, significantly reducing the attack surface for malicious actors.
C
Microsoft is taking a major step to harden the Windows operating system against kernel-level threats by removing trust for drivers signed by the deprecated cross-signed root program.
Starting with the April 2026 update, Windows 11 and Windows Server 2025 will block these untrusted drivers by default.
This policy ensures that only drivers certified through the Windows Hardware Compatibility Program can load automatically, significantly reducing the attack surface for malicious actors.
Closing a legacy Security Gap
The cross-signed root program was introduced in the early 2000s to allow third-party certificate authorities to issue Windows-trusted code-signing certificates.
However, this system provided no assurances regarding the security or compatibility of the kernel code. Because developers managed their own private keys, the program became a frequent target for credential theft, allowing threat actors to deploy rootkits.
Microsoft officially deprecated this signing program in 2021, and all related certificates have since expired. Despite this, Windows continued to trust these legacy certificates to maintain compatibility with legacy hardware.
Drivers will be blocked on enforced systems, with a notification displayed(source: Microsoft)
This new update finally severs that lingering trust. Moving forward, the certification pipeline requires vendors to pass strict identity vetting, submit rigorous test results, and undergo malware scanning before receiving a protected Microsoft-owned certificate.
The system will only enforce the block after meeting specific runtime and restart thresholds. If an unsupported driver is detected during this audit phase, the system resets the evaluation timer and holds off on enforcement.
Enterprise environments relying on internally developed custom kernel drivers have alternative options. Organizations can securely bypass the default block using an Application Control for Business policy.
A widely used open-source web-based IMAP email client, Roundcube Webmail, has released version 1.6.14, delivering critical security patches to fix multiple severe vulnerabilities in the 1.6.x branch.
The release resolves a complex range of security issues, spanning from pre-authentication arbitrary file write risks to cross-site scripting (XSS) and server-side request forgery (SSRF).
System administrators are strongly urged to apply this update to protect their communication infrastructure
A widely used open-source web-based IMAP email client, Roundcube Webmail, has released version 1.6.14, delivering critical security patches to fix multiple severe vulnerabilities in the 1.6.x branch.
System administrators are strongly urged to apply this update to protect their communication infrastructure from potential exploitation by threat actors.
Because this flaw does not require an attacker to authenticate, it poses a significant risk for unauthenticated remote code execution on vulnerable web servers.
If exploited, attackers could gain complete control over the application environment. Additionally, the update patches an SSRF and information disclosure vulnerability.
This vulnerability could enable threat actors to map internal network architectures or extract sensitive data from hidden internal services that are normally shielded from the public internet.
Version 1.6.14 also resolves a critical logical bug in the account management mechanisms. Security researcher flydragon777 reported an issue where attackers could successfully change an account password without providing the old password.
This severely undermined account security and could lead to complete account takeovers if an active session was temporarily hijacked.
This flaw could allow malicious actors to manipulate backend mail server commands and perform unauthorized actions on behalf of a currently authenticated user.
An XSS vulnerability present in the HTML attachment preview feature was successfully patched after being reported by aikido_security. Multiple methods used to bypass remote image blocking were also fixed.
A researcher known as nullcathedral reported bypasses utilizing various SVG animate attributes and crafted body background attributes.
Blocking remote images is a vital privacy feature that prevents email senders from using tracking pixels to confirm if an email was opened.
The same researcher also identified a flaw that allowed bypassing fixed-position mitigations via misuse of the CSS important rule, which has now been firmly resolved.
The Roundcube development team considers this release highly stable. They recommend that administrators immediately update all production installations of Roundcube 1.6. x to secure their environments.
System administrators must securely back up all database and application data before initiating the upgrade process to prevent unexpected data loss.
Google has rolled out an urgent security update for the Chrome browser to address eight high-severity vulnerabilities.
These newly patched security flaws could allow threat actors to execute arbitrary code remotely, posing a significant risk to user data and system integrity.
The stable channel is currently receiving updates to version 146.0.7680.164 or 146.0.7680.165 for Windows and macOS users.
Meanwhile, Linux users will receive version 146.0.7680.164. Google expects these critical u
The stable channel is currently receiving updates to version 146.0.7680.164 or 146.0.7680.165 for Windows and macOS users.
Meanwhile, Linux users will receive version 146.0.7680.164. Google expects these critical updates to reach all users over the coming days and weeks.
Chrome Security Update
The latest patches resolve several dangerous memory management and processing errors within Chrome’s underlying architecture.
Among the patched issues are “Use-After-Free” vulnerabilities in components such as Dawn, WebGPU, and FedCM.
These specific flaws occur when a program continues to use a memory pointer after the memory has been freed, allowing attackers to inject and execute malicious payloads.
Additionally, Google addressed heap buffer overflows in WebAudio and WebGL, out-of-bounds reading flaws in CSS, and an integer overflow in the Fonts component.
When chained together or successfully exploited, these memory corruption vulnerabilities give cybercriminals a path to bypass browser security sandboxes and compromise the host machine entirely.
The company also maintains restrictions if a vulnerability exists in a third-party library that other software projects depend on.
Google actively rewards security researchers for responsibly disclosing these threats, paying out a confirmed $7,000 bounty for the WebAudio vulnerability alone, with several other reward amounts still to be determined.
Cybersecurity professionals and everyday users must prioritize applying this update immediately.
To ensure your browser is fully protected against these potential remote code execution threats, navigate to the Chrome menu, select “Help,” and click on “About Google Chrome.”
This action forces the browser to check for the latest version and automatically download the security patch.
Administrators managing enterprise environments should push the update through their patch management systems to efficiently secure network endpoints.
Google has released a substantial security update for its Chrome web browser, addressing 26 distinct vulnerabilities that could allow unauthenticated attackers to execute malicious code remotely.
The latest Stable channel update rolls out versions 146.0.7680.153 and 146.0.7680.154 for Windows and macOS, while Linux users will receive version 146.0.7680.153.
This critical patch cycle is designed to remediate multiple severe memory corruption flaws that pose significant risks to individual u
Google has released a substantial security update for its Chrome web browser, addressing 26 distinct vulnerabilities that could allow unauthenticated attackers to execute malicious code remotely.
The latest Stable channel update rolls out versions 146.0.7680.153 and 146.0.7680.154 for Windows and macOS, while Linux users will receive version 146.0.7680.153.
This critical patch cycle is designed to remediate multiple severe memory corruption flaws that pose significant risks to individual users and enterprise networks alike.
Tailored to standard cybersecurity reporting formats, this breakdown highlights the most severe threats mitigated in this release.
Critical Vulnerabilities and RCE Risks
The primary threat vector for these vulnerabilities lies in how the browser processes specialized web content.
By exploiting flaws in components such as WebGL, WebRTC, and the V8 JavaScript engine, threat actors can bypass standard browser security sandboxes.
The update specifically addresses three “Critical” severity vulnerabilities, 22 “High” severity flaws, and one “Medium” severity issue.
When an attacker successfully triggers one of these conditions, typically by luring a victim to a maliciously crafted webpage, they can write payloads directly into system memory and achieve remote code execution (RCE).
Notably, a single security researcher operating under the pseudonym “c6eed09fc8b174b0f3eebedcceb1e792” discovered and reported nine high-severity issues, as well as one critical vulnerability.
CVE Identifier
Severity
Browser Component
Vulnerability Type
CVE-2026-4439
Critical
WebGL
Out of bounds memory access
CVE-2026-4440
Critical
WebGL
Out of bounds read and write
CVE-2026-4441
Critical
Base
Use after free
CVE-2026-4442
High
CSS
Heap buffer overflow
CVE-2026-4443
High
WebAudio
Heap buffer overflow
CVE-2026-4444
High
WebRTC
Stack buffer overflow
CVE-2026-4445
High
WebRTC
Use after free
CVE-2026-4446
High
WebRTC
Use after free
CVE-2026-4447
High
V8
Inappropriate implementation
CVE-2026-4448
High
ANGLE
Heap buffer overflow
CVE-2026-4449
High
Blink
Use after free
CVE-2026-4450
High
V8
Out of bounds write
CVE-2026-4451
High
Navigation
Insufficient validation of untrusted input
CVE-2026-4452
High
ANGLE
Integer overflow
CVE-2026-4453
High
Dawn
Integer overflow
CVE-2026-4454
High
Network
Use after free
CVE-2026-4455
High
PDFium
Heap buffer overflow
CVE-2026-4456
High
Digital Credentials API
Use after free
CVE-2026-4457
High
V8
Type Confusion
CVE-2026-4458
High
Extensions
Use after free
CVE-2026-4459
High
WebAudio
Out of bounds read and write
CVE-2026-4460
High
Skia
Out of bounds read
CVE-2026-4461
High
V8
Inappropriate implementation
CVE-2026-4462
High
Blink
Out of bounds read
CVE-2026-4463
High
WebRTC
Heap buffer overflow
CVE-2026-4464
Medium
ANGLE
Integer overflow
WebGL vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous because they interact directly with the hardware graphics processing unit, potentially allowing attackers to escape software constraints.
To mitigate the risk of system compromise, users and enterprise administrators are strongly advised to verify their browser versions immediately.
While Google is rolling out the update progressively over the coming days and weeks, proactive manual updates can prevent exploitation by opportunistic threat actors.
This delayed disclosure strategy successfully prevents threat actors from reverse-engineering the patches to develop zero-day exploits targeting slow-to-update systems.
Apple launches Background Security Improvements to fix vulnerabilities in real time, starting with a WebKit flaw affecting Safari on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
The post Apple Rolls Out Real-Time Security Fixes Across iPhone, iPad, and Mac appeared first on TechRepublic.
Apple launches Background Security Improvements to fix vulnerabilities in real time, starting with a WebKit flaw affecting Safari on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Microsoft’s March Patch Tuesday fixes 78 vulnerabilities, including Office preview pane flaws, an Excel Copilot data leak risk, and an AI-discovered 9.8 severity bug.
The post Patch Alert: Microsoft Fixes Nearly 80 Bugs, Including Critical Office Flaws appeared first on TechRepublic.
Microsoft’s March Patch Tuesday fixes 78 vulnerabilities, including Office preview pane flaws, an Excel Copilot data leak risk, and an AI-discovered 9.8 severity bug.
Microsoft patches 58 vulnerabilities, including six actively exploited zero-days across Windows, Office, and RDP, as CISA sets a March 3 deadline.
The post Microsoft’s February Patch Tuesday Fixes 6 Zero-Days Under Attack appeared first on TechRepublic.
Microsoft patched a Windows Remote Assistance flaw that lets attackers bypass Mark of the Web, weakening protections against malicious downloads and phishing files.
The post New Windows Flaw Lets Attackers Bypass Mark of the Web appeared first on TechRepublic.
Microsoft patched a Windows Remote Assistance flaw that lets attackers bypass Mark of the Web, weakening protections against malicious downloads and phishing files.