Google has released Chrome 81 (81.0.4044.92) for Windows, Mac and Linux. The latest update includes security patches, along with new features for auto-upgrading of mixed image content and support for Web NFC standard.
The Chrome security update addresses 32 security fixes to include the following 3 High severity vulnerabilities discovered by external researchers:
- CVE-2020-6454: Use after free in extensions.
- CVE-2020-6423: Use after free in audio.
- CVE-2020-6455: Out of bounds read in WebSQL.
Chrome 81 also includes new auto-upgrade audio/video mixed content and Web NFC API as the most notable features.
Auto-upgrade Audio/Video Mixed Content
Chrome 81 now includes the ability to block content images from appearing in the browser if it cannot be delivered over a secure HTTPS connection.
“This feature will autoupgrade optionally-blockable mixed content (HTTP content in HTTPS sites) by rewriting the URL to HTTPS, without a fallback to HTTP if the content is not available over HTTPS. In the first version (targeted for M80) only audio and video content will be upgraded,” Google posted in the Chrome feature update.
Web NFC API feature
Additionally, Google also added a Web NFC API feature:
“Web NFC aims to provide sites the ability to read and write to NFC tags when they are brought in close proximity to the user’s device (usually 5-10 cm, 2-4 inches). The current scope is limited to NDEF, a lightweight binary message format. Low-level I/O operations (e.g. ISO-DEP, NFC-A/B, NFC-F) and Host-based Card Emulation (HCE) are not supported within the current scope,” Google noted in the feature update.
In short, end users can now use this new Web NFC standard in Chrome to interact with the NFC tags. As a result they will no longer need to install another app on their phones.