Google Chrome - Relaunch Your Browser Now To Stop Hacks

Do you use the Google Chrome browser? It's a question that may seem silly, considering it's the world's most popular browsing platform with over three billion users. However, the real question is: when was the last time you relaunched Chrome? If the answer is "I don't know," then you could be leaving yourself, your system, and your data open to attack.

Google has confirmed a long list of Chrome security vulnerabilities in recent months, with nine new ones discovered on March 4, followed by five more just six days later. Since then, there have been additional vulnerabilities disclosed on March 20, April 16, April 22, April 29, and May 6. The most critical one, CVE-2025-4664, was confirmed on May 14, with attackers already exploiting it in the wild.

According to the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Chrome zero-day vulnerabilities are a serious concern because hackers won't be waiting for an update. With Chrome attackers looking to bypass 2FA protections and compromise passwords, proactive defensive measures are essential. Relaunching your Google Chrome browser is one of the key ways to protect yourself against these attacks.

Here's what you need to know about Chrome security updates: while the updating process is automatic for the Chrome browser, it doesn't mean you're protected as soon as the announcement drops. Google confirms that patches will "roll out over the coming days and weeks," but attackers may already have the exploit code and attacks are underway.

Relaunching your Google Chrome browser can activate update protections. To do this, simply choose the "About Google Chrome" option from the Chrome Help menu. This will start the process of checking for any outstanding updates, downloading them, and installing them. Note that this won't activate the security patch unless you relaunch your browser.

Google has also pointed out that if you haven't closed your browser in a while, you might see a pending update. If there's no relaunch option to be found, Google says you're on the latest version. However, if you're browsing in Incognito mode, your tabs won't reopen when Chrome restarts.

What if your Chrome browser security update fails to install? Don't worry - Google has advice for users in this unlikely scenario. Try downloading the update again, uninstalling and reinstalling Chrome, checking antivirus or parental control applications aren't blocking the update from downloading, or try turning it off and on again.

If you genuinely care about your Chrome security, then regularly checking for security updates and relaunching your browser is essential. You know what to do: make that check and relaunch your Google Chrome browser now.