In the most recent Chrome releases—version 156.0.8078.47/48 for Windows and macOS, and 156.0.8078.47 for Linux—Google has fixed over 350 security vulnerabilities, some of which are critical. Fortunately, none of them are being exploited in the wild. With Chrome 156, we also get “AI”-driven media understanding, though not a lot else.
Chrome 157 is scheduled for release in two weeks.
What’s new in Chrome 156?
The only new feature in Chrome 156, according to the “What’s New” page, is something called “Media understanding.” When media understanding is enabled, you can ask Gemini in Chrome about the video or audio you’re playing. Gemini can respond with answers, generate summaries, and more.
Note, however, that Gemini in Chrome is not currently available to all users—it’s still being rolled out gradually. Don’t confuse it with “AI mode” in Google Search. You can search for “gemini” in Chrome settings to find all Gemini-related options and features available to you.
If you don’t want to use media understanding, you can disable it via Settings → AI in Chrome → Gemini in Chrome.
Security flaws fixed in Chrome 156
In the Chrome Releases blog post, Srinivas Sista lists 353 security vulnerabilities that have been fixed in Chrome 156. Google discovered 266 of them internally, while the remaining 87 flaws were reported by external security researchers. Google has so far awarded those security researchers a total of $50,000 in bounties.
Six of the vulnerabilities are classified as “critical,” with five of them being memory errors in various components. A further 61 vulnerabilities are classified as “high risk,” and of the remaining, 197 are considered “medium risk” and 89 “low risk.” The most common types include memory corruption (163), use-after-free (125), and improper input validation (36).
Chrome usually updates automatically when a new version is available. You can manually check for updates via the menu option Help → About Google Chrome (or Settings → About Google Chrome).
Tip: Whether you keep your browser up to date, you need proper antivirus protections if you want your PC to remain secure and private. Check out our picks for the best antivirus software for Windows as well as best VPN services to stay ahead of security problems.