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Received — 23 April 2026 ⏭ Malwarebytes

Browser Guard gets even better with Access Control 

✇Malwarebytes
16 April 2026 at 14:40

Have you ever been on a website when a pop-up suddenly asked for access to your camera, microphone, location, or notifications? Whether you clicked “allow,” dismissed it, or just wondered why it appeared, those permission requests aren’t always harmless. Some sites can abuse those permissions.

With Access Control, a new feature in Browser Guard, you decide exactly which websites can access your device and stop the rest. That means you choose which websites can: 

  • Use your camera
  • Use your microphone
  • Access your location
  • Send you notifications 

Further, not only can you control which websites have access to your devices, but you can also block websites or even require those specific sites to request permission every single time they try to gain access to your machines. You can always allow trusted sites to access your camera or location while blocking everything else.  

Access Control is now available for Malwarebytes subscribers using Chrome and Edge browsers on a Windows device. 

How to use Access Control 

We designed Access Control to be both powerful and simple because we know every moment you spend getting set up is another moment you’re left unprotected.  

How to use Access Control:  

  • Install/Open Browser Guard: Click the Malwarebytes icon in your browser’s header 
  • Access Dashboard: Click the Dashboard tab at the bottom of the extension panel. 
  • Navigate to Access Control: On the left sidebar of the web page, select Access Control. 
  • Manage Permissions: See visited websites, click “Allow” to enable or disable Malwarebytes’ ability to see visited sites.
  • Access Control requires some access to your browsing to protect you online
  • Access Control lets you choose individual sites to block and allow

This feature is rolling out in beta first, so you might see improvements and updates as we refine it. Currently, the feature works across Chrome and Edge, but will roll out to other browsers soon.  

Access Control is another step toward making privacy simple and accessible.  Not a subscriber yet? Check out  Malwarebytes’ plans today to unlock this feature and more. 

We don’t just report on threats—we remove them

Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline. Keep threats off your devices by downloading Malwarebytes today.

Received — 12 March 2026 ⏭ Malwarebytes
Received — 19 February 2026 ⏭ Malwarebytes

Update Chrome now: Zero-day bug allows code execution via malicious webpages

✇Malwarebytes
17 February 2026 at 13:33

Google has issued a patch for a high‑severity Chrome zero‑day, tracked as CVE‑2026‑2441, a memory bug in how the browser handles certain font features that attackers are already exploiting.

CVE-2026-2441 has the questionable honor of being the first Chrome zero-day of 2026. Google considered it serious enough to issue a separate update of the stable channel for it, rather than wait for the next major release.

How to update Chrome

The latest version number is 145.0.7632.75/76 for Windows and macOS, and 145.0.7632.75 for Linux. So, if your Chrome is on version 145.0.7632.75 or later, it’s protected from these vulnerabilities.

The easiest way to update is to allow Chrome to update automatically. But you can end up lagging behind if you never close your browser or if something goes wrong, such as an extension preventing the update.

To update manually, click the More menu (three dots), then go to Settings > About Chrome. If an update is available, Chrome will start downloading it. Restart Chrome to complete the update, and you’ll be protected against these vulnerabilities.

Chrome is up to date
Chrome at version 145.0.7632.76 is up to date

You can also find step-by-step instructions in our guide to how to update Chrome on every operating system.

Technical details

Google confirms it has seen active exploitation but is not sharing who is being targeted, how often, or detailed indicators yet.

But we can derive some information from what we know.

The vulnerability is a use‑after‑free issue in Chrome’s CSS font feature handling (CSSFontFeatureValuesMap), which is part of how websites display and style text. More specifically: The root cause is an iterator invalidation bug. Chrome would loop over a set of font feature values while also changing that set, leaving the loop pointing at stale data until an attacker managed to turn that into code execution.

Use-after-free (UAF) is a type of software vulnerability where a program attempts to access a memory location after it has been freed. That can lead to crashes or, in some cases, lets an attacker run their own code.

The CVE-record says, “Use after free in CSS in Google Chrome prior to 145.0.7632.75 allowed a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code inside a sandbox via a crafted HTML page.” (Chromium security severity: High)

This means an attacker would be able to create a special website, or other HTML content that would run code inside the Chrome browser’s sandbox.

Chrome’s sandbox is like a secure box around each website tab. Even if something inside the tab goes rogue, it should be confined and not able to tamper with the rest of your system. It limits what website code can touch in terms of files, devices, and other apps, so a browser bug ideally only gives an attacker a foothold in that restricted environment, not full control of the machine.

Running arbitrary code inside the sandbox is still dangerous because the attacker effectively “becomes” that browser tab. They can see and modify anything the tab can access. Even without escaping to the operating system, this is enough to steal accounts, plant backdoors in cloud services, or reroute sensitive traffic.

If chained with a vulnerability that allows a process to escape the sandbox, an attacker can move laterally, install malware, or encrypt files, as with any other full system compromise.

How to stay safe

To protect your device against attacks exploiting this vulnerability, you’re strongly advised to update as soon as possible. Here are some more tips to avoid becoming a victim, even before a zero-day is patched:

  • Don’t click on unsolicited links in emails, messages, unknown websites, or on social media.
  • Enable automatic updates and restart regularly. Many users leave browsers open for days, which delays protection even if the update is downloaded in the background.
  • Use an up-to-date, real-time anti-malware solution which includes a web protection component.

Users of other Chromium-based browsers can expect to see a similar update.

We don’t just report on threats—we help safeguard your entire digital identity

Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline. Protect your, and your family’s, personal information by using identity protection.

Received — 17 February 2026 ⏭ Malwarebytes

A week in security (February 9 – February 15)

✇Malwarebytes
16 February 2026 at 09:02

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs:

Stay safe!

We don’t just report on threats—we help safeguard your entire digital identity

Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline. Protect your, and your family’s, personal information by using identity protection.

Received — 11 January 2026 ⏭ Malwarebytes
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