Google Chrome update cycle and patching evolution

Google developing Chrome updates that work without restarting the browser

Google started using LLMs to find bugs in the Chrome codebase.

Google began employing large language models (LLMs) to identify security bugs in the Chrome codebase in 2023, according to the company. The initiative aimed to find vulnerabilities across a broader portion of the codebase with fewer false positives than traditional methods [9][10].

One notable discovery was a bug that had remained in the codebase for 13 years [11]. The program also evolved into a multi-agent workflow where LLMs generate candidate fixes for most vulnerabilities [12].

Google launched automatic restart in Chrome 150 on macOS when no windows are open and an update is pending.

Google launched an automatic restart feature in Chrome 150 on macOS. When no windows are open and an update is pending, the browser restarts itself to apply the update without requiring user action.

This move is part of Google's broader effort to shift the update burden away from users. The company has highlighted that the time spent waiting for users to restart Chrome creates an N-day exploitation risk, and automatic restarts at opportune moments help address this.

Chrome 149 and 150 fixed 1,072 security bugs.

Chrome 149 and 150 together fixed 1,072 security bugs, a number that exceeded the combined total of the previous 23 milestones.