In order to access the wide range of websites available on the World Wide Web, every internet user needs a browser. As a result, browsers gather a variety of sensitive information, including credit card information and passwords for online accounts.
This is a major factor in the importance of web browser security. Web browsers are the software products most susceptible to security flaws, nevertheless, out of all of them.
The most widely used browser in the world, Google Chrome, also has the most reported vulnerabilities, with 303 flaws found so far this year, according to the statistics provided by the Atlas VPN team. With 3,159 cumulative vulnerabilities, Google Chrome holds the record for most vulnerabilities.
The figures are based on information from the VulDB database of vulnerabilities. The article provides a summary of vulnerabilities reported to the database between January 1, 2022, and October 5, 2022. The research does not examine the severity of vulnerabilities; instead, it concentrates on the overall number of vulnerabilities (including those with patches).
It’s also important to note that since Google Chrome is the browser with the most users, there are more vulnerabilities disclosed.
CVE-2022-3318, CVE-2022-3314, CVE-2022-3311, CVE-2022-3309, and CVE-2022-3307 are a few of the most current Google Chrome security flaws. By updating to version 106.0.5249.61, any vulnerabilities that might result in memory corruption will be fixed.
Mozilla Firefox comes in second with 117 vulnerabilities, followed by Microsoft Edge with 103 vulnerabilities found so far this year, 61% higher than in all of 2021. For a browser that has only seen a total of 806 vulnerabilities since its inception, it is an exceptionally high amount.
Apple’s Safari browser, meanwhile, has had among of the lowest vulnerability rates in recent memory. Safari has 26 known vulnerabilities in the first three quarters of 2022, making it the second most popular browser in the world after Chrome, which just surpassed 1 billion users. It now has a cumulative vulnerability score of 1,139.
Opera, another popular browser, has just 344 cumulative vulnerabilities overall and no known vulnerabilities this year.
All three browsers—Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Opera—are based on the Chromium engine, while having quite a few features in common. It implies that all of these browsers may be affected by Chromium vulnerabilities.
How To Keep Your Browser Secure:
Hackers use a variety of methods to take advantage of browser flaws. Fortunately, there are several precautions you may do to lessen the likelihood that your browser will become infected.
Update your browser frequently. Although it is true that browsers contain a lot of security flaws, their creators often fix these flaws by providing updates. By installing browser updates as soon as they become available, you may reduce the likelihood that cybercriminals will exploit a weakness in your current browser version.
When selecting plug-ins, be cautious. Although useful, browser plugins may potentially be malevolent or, even worse, contain weaknesses. Select only browser add-ons from reputable vendors, and make sure the most recent updates are constantly installed.
Watch out for phishing. Hackers frequently distribute exploit kits intended for browser vulnerabilities that haven’t been fixed through phishing tactics. Learning to spot phishing efforts is the greatest defence against them. Unknown senders should generally not have their emails or messages opened. Never open attachments or click on links unless you are certain that the message is from from a reliable source.
Before responding to the information, check the sender’s email address or social media profile, even if you are familiar with them, to be sure they are not a fake. If feasible, verify the message’s authenticity with each sender separately over a different channel. Additionally, be wary of any communications you get that are riddled with grammatical and spelling errors, make urgent requests, or demand personal information from you.