Google Chrome 92 is out with security fixes

[harlan4096]

Google released a new version of the company's Chrome web browser on July 20, 2021. Google Chrome 92 Stable is already available via the web browser's automatic updating system. It should be installed automatically on all supported desktop and mobile systems in the coming days and weeks.

Desktop users may speed up the installation of the upgrade by selecting Menu > Help > About Google Chrome. The current version is displayed on the page that opens; Chrome will run a manual check for updates to install any new update that it finds automatically.

Chrome 92 is a security update that fixes 35 security issues in the web browser. The highest severity rating is high, the second-highest after critical.

Chrome 92 new features and changesGoogle introduced Chrome Actions in November 2020 as a way to quickly run certain actions from the browser's address bar. Typing "delete history" allowed Chrome users to jump straight to the activity without having to navigate menus first.

Chrome 92 introduces new actions:

• safety check -- to run a security check that verifies the security of passwords, extensions and more in the browser.
  
• manage security settings -- to open the security settings.
  
• manage sync -- to open the sync settings.
  

It appears that the new Actions are being rolled out. I could not get them to work in Chrome 92 at this point.

Site Isolation improvementsSite Isolation is an essential security feature of the Chrome web browser, especially on desktop operating systems. The feature separates websites from each other and from browser extensions.

Starting in Chrome 92, extensions may no longer share processes with each other on desktop systems. Google notes that the change "provides an extra line of defense against malicious extensions, without removing any existing extension capabilities".

On Android, site isolation protects only "high-value sites" according to Google because enabling it for all sites would be "too costly for most Android devices" from a performance point of view. In Chrome 92 for Android, defenses are expanded to include sites "where users log in via third-party providers, as well as sites that carry Cross-Origin-Opener-Policy headers".

Access site permissions from the address bar

Chrome users may access a site's permissions directly from the address bar. The feature is being rolled out for Chrome for Android at the time but it will become available for other platforms as well according to Google.

A tap on the lock-icon displays the new Permissions entry. Tap on that to display all available permissions, e.g. microphone and camera, and their status. Options to forget granted permissions are also available.

Other changes in Chrome 92

• Phishing Detection is now "50 times faster and drains less battery" according to Google.
  
• PWAs may register themselves as handlers for custom URL protocols and schemes.
  

Now You: what is your take on these changes?

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