Therefore, you should update your browser as soon as possible

Due to a serious security problem in several Internet browsers, several software companies have released security updates. Users of the Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Brave browsers should definitely install this update as soon as possible if this has not already happened automatically.

Your browser needs to be updated to the following version:

The vulnerability allows hackers to gain access to sensitive data quite easily. As the technology portal ‘The Verge’ reports, among others, criminals can access open source software through code that displays certain image files in the WebP format.

This format is a fairly common, although not well known, alternative to JPEG or PNG files. The open source software in question is called “libwebp” and is used when a WebP file needs to be read – for example when it is displayed in the browser.

Hackers can likely manipulate the WebP images to cause “libwebp” to malfunction. This allows cybercriminals to execute malicious code on the affected device and in turn install malware or access data directly.

Even if the exact extent of the vulnerability is not yet known, there are indications that it could be one of the most explosive IT vulnerabilities of the year.

To determine the severity of such an incident, many experts use the score from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a US federal agency. However, this is still being determined, as can be seen on the NIST website.