Google is finally closing a 23-year-old vulnerability that threatens user privacy with the new version of Chrome. Version 136 of the browser will be available to all users from 23 April, and with this update, websites will be prevented from indirectly accessing visit history.

Chrome closes 23-year-old security vulnerability with new update

The vulnerability in question was caused by a CSS feature called :visited, which makes visited links appear in different colours in browsers. Although this feature was designed to improve user experience, some sites could indirectly detect which pages users had visited in the past by using these different colours.

With Google’s new solution, the visit status of a link is limited to the site where the link was clicked. In other words, if a user clicked on a link on Site A, that link will not appear as ‘visited’ on Site B. Thus, cross-site history tracking will be completely prevented.

In addition, checks made through iframes within the browser are also limited. However, visits to links within a site can still be shown. In this way, both privacy is protected and the user experience is not interrupted.

This problem, which first came to the agenda in 2022, has existed as a potential security risk in browsers for about 23 years. Beta version users have already started to benefit from this protection.

So what do you think about this issue? Do you like Google Chrome’s new security measure? Which internet browser do you use in your daily life? You can share your opinions with us in the comments section below.