The Register: Chrome to patch decades-old flaw that let sites peek at your history

Source URL: https://www.theregister.com/2025/04/07/chrome_135_history_sniffing/
Source: The Register
Title: Chrome to patch decades-old flaw that let sites peek at your history

Feedly Summary: After 23 years, the privacy plumber has finally arrived to clean up this mess
A 23-year-old side-channel attack for spying on people’s web browsing histories will get shut down in the forthcoming Chrome 136, released last Thursday to the Chrome beta channel.…

AI Summary and Description: Yes

Summary: The text discusses the resolution of a long-standing privacy vulnerability in web browsing, specifically related to a side-channel attack that has persisted for 23 years. The upcoming release of Chrome 136 is set to mitigate this issue, highlighting significant advancements in web privacy security for both users and developers.

Detailed Description: The text presents information regarding an important security update that will be introduced in the latest version of the Chrome browser, particularly Chrome 136. This update addresses a notable historical security flaw that has implications for user privacy and web security practices.

– The “side-channel attack” mentioned refers to techniques used to extract information about a user’s web activities (such as browsing history) without direct access to that data.
– The problem has been acknowledged for 23 years, indicating a long-standing challenge in privacy security that has not been effectively resolved until now.
– As technology and browsers evolve, new measures are implemented to safeguard user data against such vulnerabilities, ensuring a more secure browsing experience.
– Chrome’s proactive approach in releasing this update underscores the ongoing commitment to enhance user privacy and security through software updates.

The resolution of this vulnerability is crucial for security and compliance professionals as it emphasizes the need for continuous monitoring of web security risks and the implementation of timely updates to address potential exploits. Additionally, it illustrates the importance of vigilance in privacy protection practices both for end-users and developers involved in web infrastructure and application security.