Google removed a major Chrome browser update for the desktop, just one day after a previous update that fixed two serious security flaws and the same day that a third Chrome security flaw was revealed on Twitter.
The new version, Chrome 90.0.4430.72, fixes 37 more security vulnerabilities, although it is probably not the one revealed yesterday. But it also makes default encrypted web connections, which should speed up performance. In addition, it is compatible with Chrome 90 for video conferencing services.
Default HTTPS = faster load times
Switching to default encrypted web connections is probably the most important change in Chrome 90.
From now on, if a user enters a regular web address, such as “foofoo.com” in the address bar, Chrome will first try to connect to that domain using the encrypted HTTPS protocol instead of the older text-based HTTP protocol. simple. (“S” in “HTTPS” means “secure”.)
Google says this change will speed up the loading time of websites (such as Tom’s Guide) that support HTTPS, because before yesterday, HTTP was tried first and browsers had to be redirected to the HTTPS protocol.
Here’s an animated GIF made by Google to demonstrate how this works.
How to upgrade to Chrome 90
To upgrade to Chrome 90.0.4430.72 on Windows or macOS, click the three vertical dots at the top right of the browser window, scroll down, and click Help, and then click About Google Chrome in the drop-down menu.
A new tab will open informing you that your browser is up to date or that a new update is being downloaded and that the browser needs to be restarted to install the update. Most Linux users will have to wait for the new version to be incorporated into their distribution updates.
As of this writing, other Chromium-based desktop browsers, including Microsoft Edge and Brave, have not been updated to match Chrome. [Update: Edge is supposed to be updated later today, April 15.] The open-source Chromium browser project is maintained by Google staff and volunteer programmers.
Chrome 90 security updates
Chrome 90 security fixes range in severity from “High” to “Low,” with six vulnerabilities in the previous category. At least one is quite old, being reported to Google in November 2019; its searchers received a $ 20,000 reward from Google.
We, the civilians, cannot yet see the details of the defects, however; Google restricts access to their operation until most users have their systems fixed.
Chrome 90: Built-in AV1 support
Chrome 90 also adds support for AV1, a fairly new video encoding format that was developed by a consortium of Big Tech companies – Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft among them – to avoid royalty issues and licensing that had revealed the previous coding. formats.
The addition of AV1 should make video conferencing using its own Google Duo and Meet platforms, as well as Cisco’s WebEx, easier, especially for low-bandwidth users. Screen sharing should also be made easier.
Also, here’s a somewhat cringey video made by Pete LePage, the Chrome developer’s lawyer, to explain the changes for developers in the new browser. Chrome 90s – do you understand?