Google closes 18 Chrome holes

Google on Tuesday pushed out a new version of its Chrome web browser to rectify 18 vulnerablities, including 11 that are deemed "high" in severity. Version 15, part of the "stable" channel of Chrome, also includes protection against Browser Exploit Against SSL/TLS (BEAST), a JavaScript hacking tool disclosed last month at a security conference in Argentina that can decrypt HTTPS requests and encrypted cookies. Microsoft has since issued an advisory that acknowledges the issue, along with a Fix-It solution. Meanwhile, researchers who disclosed the flaws in Chrome received more than $26,000 combined for their finds as part of Google's bug bounty program.