security warning! Data of 2.5 billion Google Chrome users is at risk

The vulnerability was discovered through a review of the way browsers interact with the file system, specifically looking for common vulnerabilities related to browser process symlinks, the blog reads.

What is a symlink?

Imperva Red defines a symlink or a symbolic link as a type of file that points to another file or directory. This allows the operating system to treat the linked file or directory as if it were in place of a symlink. A symlink, it says, can be useful for creating shortcuts, redirecting file paths, or organizing files in a more flexible way.

However, such links can also be used to introduce vulnerabilities if not handled properly.

in Google ChromeIn this case, the problem arose from the way the browser interacted with symlinks when processing files and directories. To be specific, the browser did not properly check whether the symlink was pointing to a location that was not intended to be accessible, which allowed the theft of sensitive files, the blog post explains.

How did symlinks affect Google Chrome?

Explaining how the vulnerability affected Google Chrome, the firm says an attacker could create a fake website that offers a new crypto wallet service. The website can then trick the user into creating a new wallet by requesting them to download their ‘recovery’ key.

“These keys will actually be a zip file containing a symlink to a sensitive file or folder on the user’s computer, such as cloud provider credentials. When the user unzips the ‘recovery’ keys and uploads them back to the website, then the symlink will be processed and the attacker will gain access to the sensitive file,” the blog explains.

What should Chrome users do?

Imperva Red says that it notified Google about the vulnerability and that the issue has been fully resolved in Chrome 108. Users are advised to always keep their software updated to protect against such vulnerabilities.