Google Chrome is a closed source web browser developed by Google, although derived from an open source project called "Chromium".
Google recently announced the launch of the new version of its web browser «Google Chrome 114» which comes in parallel with the release of the stable version of the Chromium project, which is the basis of Chrome.
In addition to innovations and bug fixes, 16 vulnerabilities have been fixed in the new version and as such there are no critical bugs that would allow bypassing all levels of browser protection and executing code on the system outside of the sandbox. As part of the vulnerability bounty program for the current version, Google paid out 13 prizes.
Main novelties of Chrome 114
In this new version that comes from Chrome 114 the password manager capabilities have been improved and is that now is designed as a PWA app and it is available through the page "chrome://password-manager" and it is that added a button to open the password manager in the top level menu of the browser. In addition to grouping similar passwords together, an improved verification process has been integrated and a new password has been added. option to settings to place a separate shortcut on the desktop to quickly open a separate password manager interface.
Another of the changes that stands out in the password manager is that the interface has been redesigned which is displayed when you click the icon in the address bar. In the displayed password list, you can now immediately view detailed information, copy the username/password to the clipboard, and edit the saved note.
In addition to this, it is also highlighted that in this new version of Chrome, to protect against the hijacking of cookies by malware, an exclusive lock is maintained on the files that store cookies.
In the versions for Android and iOS platforms, the possibility of separate storage of local settings is implemented and settings obtained as a result of synchronization with other devices through a Google account. The change allows, on the one hand, to exclude the transfer of local settings during synchronization, and on the other hand, allows not to leave external settings in the system after synchronization is disabled. By default, detached storage is disabled and requires changing the "chrome://flags#enable-preferences-account-storage" flag.
Of the other changes that stand out from this new version of Chrome 114:
- Setting "chrome://flags#tab-hover-card-images" to disable popup thumbnails shown when hovering over tabs (Tab Hover Card).
- New buttons have been implemented for hints about the availability of an update, the application of an update, and the need to reboot after an update.
- The transition to using the built-in storage of root certificates from certificate authorities (the Chrome Root Store) has been made on Android, Linux, and ChromeOS (on Windows and macOS, the transition to the Chrome Root Store was made earlier).
- As part of the Privacy Sandbox initiative, CHIPS (Cookies Have Independent Partitioned State) technology has been implemented, which allows Cookies to be isolated in relation to a top-level domain using the new “Partitioned” attribute.
- Added Popover API, which allows you to create interface elements that display on top of other web interface elements.
- When standard and extended browser protection is enabled (Safe Browsing > Standard/Enhanced Protection), nested files are checked recursively for malicious files after download.
Finally, if you are interested in knowing more about it, you can consult the details in the following link.
How to update or install Google Chrome in Ubuntu and derivatives?
For those who are interested in being able to update to the new version of the browser on their systems, they can do so by following the instructions that we share below. The first thing you should do is check if the update is already available, for this you have to go to chrome: // settings / help and the notification that there is an update will appear.
In case it is not so you must close your browser and you are going to open a terminal and type:
sudo apt update sudo apt upgrade
You open your browser again and it must have already been updated or the update notification will appear.
In case you want to install the browser or choose to download the deb package to update, we must go to the web page of the browser to obtain the deb package and to be able to install it in our system with the help of the package manager or from the terminal. The link is this.
Once the package is obtained, we only have to install with the following command:
sudo dpkg -i google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb