A recent BBC headline trumpeting a vulnerability in Windows 7 turns out to be, mostly, a vulnerability in Google Chrome.

Firstly, just in case you were alarmed by this headline, let me calm your nerves… this is just another vulnerability. The answer, as always is…

Keep Your System Patched

If you read the article you’ll discover that Google spotted two vulnerabilities – one in Windows 7 and one in Google Chrome. They’ve released a patch for Chrome and Microsoft are working on a patch for Windows 7.

The fact that there is a patch for Chrome means that there is a solution – no need to mention the Windows 7 vulnerability.

Get The Chrome Patch

The version of Chrome you need is 72.0.3626.121

Actually, Chrome is very good at patching itself – for more information see this article on Google’s website.

To check that you’re up-to-date, go to the About Google Chrome… window, accessible from the address bar by typing in the special URL chrome://settings/help

My conclusions:

• The BBC loves a dramatic headline
• Google loves to blame Microsoft
• You're probably already patched but check just in case

Of course, if your business has 5 or more devices then double checking your patching is boring and a pain. That means that sometimes it gets missed. For your own peace of mind, ask the person responsbile for your IT to show you how they manage this.