Researchers crack Google Chrome

Security company reveals it has found serious vulnerabilities in Google's flagship software

Security researchers have unearthed serious vulnerabilities in Google Chrome, the search giant's eponymous browser.

The researchers, based at security specialist Vupen, released a video on their own website showing the vulnerability in operation.

Describing the code they created to exploit these vulnerabilities, Vupen said: "It bypasses all security features, is silent (no crash after executing the payload), relies on undisclosed (zero day) vulnerabilities discovered by Vupen and works on all Windows systems."

The code tricks Chrome users into visiting a web page hosting an exploit that is able to download software from a remote location and launch it on the user's computer.

Cyber criminals could use this code to download their own malicious software onto a user's machine.

Previously, Chrome had been considered reasonably secure, surviving unscathed for the last three years of the hacking contest 'Pwn to own'.

Vupen has stated that details of the code and the underlying vulnerabilities will not be disclosed to the public, or to Google itself.