Google unveiled Few days ago The release of the new stable version of your web browser "Chrome 98" in which a series of important changes have been made such as the one that the complements are no longer accepted if they use the second version of the manifest, but also that it now uses its own certificate store, among other things.
Those who are still unaware of the browser should know that it is distinguished by the use of Google logos, the presence of a system for sending notifications in the event of a block, modules for playing copy-protected video content (DRM), a system of automatic update and transmission.
Main novelties of Chrome 98
In this new version of Chrome 98 the browser has its own certificate store CA (Chrome Root Store), which will be used instead of external stores specific to each operating system. The store is implemented similarly to Firefox's standalone certificate store, which is used as the first link to verify the certificate's chain of trust when opening sites over HTTPS.
the new storage not yet used by default. To ease the transition of configurations tied to system stores and to ensure portability, there will be a transition period for some time, during which the Chrome Root Store will include a full selection of approved certificates on most supported platforms.
Another change in this new version is that implementation of the plan to strengthen protection against attacks continues related to access to resources on the local network or on the user's computer (localhost) from scripts loaded when the site is opened. Such requests are used by attackers to carry out CSRF attacks on routers, access points, printers, corporate web interfaces, and other devices and services that accept requests only from the local network.
To protect against such attacks, if any subresource on the internal network is accessed, the browser will start sending an explicit request for the authority to download said subresources. In Chrome 98, verification is implemented in test mode, and if there is no confirmation, a warning is displayed in the web console, but the subresource request itself is not blocked. Blocking is scheduled to be enabled no sooner than the release of Chrome 101.
Moreover, the Client Hints API implements the ability to substitute fictitious names in the browser identifier list, according to analogies with the GREASE mechanism used in TLS (Generate Random Extensions and Maintain Extensibility).
Besides that, As of January 17, the Chrome Web Store catalog no longer accepts plugins that use the second version of the Chrome manifest. Now only new additions with the third version of the manifest will be accepted. Developers of previously added plugins will still be able to release updates with the second version of the manifest. Total obsolescence of the second version of the manifest is scheduled for January 2023.
It is also highlighted that added support for color vector fonts in COLRv1 format (a subset of OpenType fonts that contain a layer with color information in addition to vector glyphs), which can be used, for example, to create multicolored emoji.
Unlike the previously supported COLRv0 format, COLRv1 now has the ability to use gradients, overlays, and transforms. The format also provides compact storage, efficient compression, and the ability to reuse outlines to significantly reduce font size. For example, the Noto Color Emoji font is 9 MB in bitmap format and 1,85 MB in COLRv1 vector format.
In Origin Trials mode (experimental features that require separate activation), the Region Capture API is implemented, which allows you to trim the captured video. For example, it may be necessary to clip in web applications that capture video of your tab content to clip certain content before sending it.
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