A research revealed that Google Chrome is the most vulnerable browser in 2022 with 303 vulnerabilities so far. According to a report published by VPN service provider Atlas VPN, the browser has the most reported vulnerabilities and is at the top of the leaderboard with 3,154 cumulative vulnerabilities. Other browsers built on the Chromium engine, like Microsoft Edge and Opera, may also be exposed to the same vulnerabilities, the report added.
While there are several protective features and tools companies and individuals install to secure their systems, of all software products, web browsers are the most affected by security vulnerabilities, the report stated.
Vulnerability statistics
Google Chrome was found to have the greatest number of reported vulnerabilities this year, which amounted to 303 found between January 1 to October 5, 2022. It was also the only browser that showed new vulnerabilities in October, raising user concerns. The report speculates that these vulnerabilities may cause memory corruption on a computer.
The recently found vulnerabilities include:
- CVE-2022-3318
- CVE-2022-3314
- CVE-2022-3311
- CVE-2022-3309
- CVE-2022-3307
Opera
On the other hand, the Opera browser has had no documented vulnerabilities this year. Overall, it had around only 344 vulnerabilities since its launch.
Apple’s Safari
The second most popular browser with over 1 billion users, Safari showed promising results with a low number of 26 vulnerabilities this year and 1139 since its launch.
Mozilla Firefox
The second browser, in terms of the highest vulnerabilities, was found to be Mozilla Firefox. It had 117 vulnerabilities.
Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Edge had 103 vulnerabilities discovered this year. It has seen a rise of 61% as compared to last year. However, since its launch, it has seen 806 vulnerabilities.
Google Chrome security update
To combat the security issues the vulnerabilities mentioned above face, it is essential to upgrade to version 106.0.5249.61, the report stated. Though the report listed vulnerabilities in the browser, it added that developers often address those by releasing patches.
Installing browser updates as soon as they are available reduces the chance of cybercriminals taking advantage of the vulnerability present in the browser version. One such update was released on September 27 this year. This version, 106.0.5249.61 addressed common bugs and offered a stable channel for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
