Stable Channel Update for Desktop

 The Stable channel has been updated to 131.0.6778.85/.86 for Windows, Mac and 131.0.6778.85 for Linux which will roll out over the coming days/weeks. A full list of changes in this build is available in the Log.


 Security Fixes and Rewards

Note: Access to bug details and links may be kept restricted until a majority of users are updated with a fix. We will also retain restrictions if the bug exists in a third party library that other projects similarly depend on, but haven’t yet fixed.


This update includes 3 security fixes. Below, we highlight fixes that were contributed by external researchers. Please see the Chrome Security Page for more information.


[$8000][377384894] High CVE-2024-11395: Type Confusion in V8. Reported by Anonymous on 2024-11-05


We would also like to thank all security researchers that worked with us during the development cycle to prevent security bugs from ever reaching the stable channel.

As usual, our ongoing internal security work was responsible for a wide range of fixes:

  • [379748340] Various fixes from internal audits, fuzzing and other initiatives


Many of our security bugs are detected using AddressSanitizer, MemorySanitizer, UndefinedBehaviorSanitizer, Control Flow Integrity, libFuzzer, or AFL.




Interested in switching release channels? Find out how here. If you find a new issue, please let us know by filing a bug. The community help forum is also a great place to reach out for help or learn about common issues.


Prudhvikumar Bommana
Google Chrome

Educators can now request access to third-party apps for their students

What’s changing

We’re introducing a new workflow that allows educators to request access to unconfigured third-party apps on behalf of their students.

Admins can allow educators and users who are over 18 years of age to request access to apps for themselves or on behalf of others (proxy requests). For example, admins may create a group of trusted users who are responsible for vetting third party apps and allow them to make proxy requests on behalf of students.




Educators can view a list of apps they have recently accessed with their Google Workspace account and request access for their students.




Admins can review and take action on these requests in the Admin console by going to Security > API Controls > App Access Control. Requests will be denoted with a “Proxy”  label when the request is made on behalf of another user. 




Once admins have configured access, they can opt to notify users and/or users who made proxy requests via email about the outcome of their request.




Who’s impacted

Admins and end users

Why it’s important

Administrators can now allow a group of trusted users to vet and request third party app access on behalf of other users. This allows admins to better control who requests access and create a more streamlined process for app approvals.

Rollout pace

Availability

  • Available for Google Workspace Education Fundamentals, Standard, Plus, and the Teaching & Learning Upgrade

Resources


Table reference improvements in Google Sheets

What’s changing

Since introducing tables in Google Sheets, we’ve made numerous improvements to ensure users are equipped with the tools they need to accelerate spreadsheet building. Table references, a way to refer to a table or parts of a table in a formula, are just one example of how tables reduce time spent manually formatting data. 

Today, we’re excited to announce updates to table references that enhance discoverability and usability. Specifically, users will now see: 
  • Improved table reference availability, which allows users to reference the items below across both single (e.g., =Table2[[#ALL],[Column 1]]) and multiple columns (e.g., =Table2[[#ALL],[Column 1]:[Column 2]] ): 
    • Full table columns, including column headers, data, and footers (#ALL) 
    • Table headers (#HEADERS) 
    • Table footers (#TOTALS) 
    • Table data, excluding headers and footers (#DATA) 
      Improved table reference availability
  • Formula suggestions, which help you identify formulas that could be more robust. For example, if a user types a working formula that overlaps with a table range, a table reference suggestion will show. 
Formula suggestions
  • Formula corrections for table references, which show a formula correction with a proper table reference when a formula is written incorrectly. 
Formula corrections

Getting started 

Rollout pace 

Availability

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers, Google Workspace Individual subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts

Resources 

Updating our site reputation abuse policy

Earlier this year, as part of our work to fight spam and deliver a great Search experience, we launched a spam policy to combat site reputation abuse. We're clarifying our policy language to further target this type of spammy behavior. We're making it clear that using third-party content on a site in an attempt to exploit the site's ranking signals is a violation of this policy — regardless of whether there is first-party involvement or oversight of the content.

Easily respond to comments and access requests without leaving Google Chat with the auto-installed Google Drive Chat app

What’s changing

Starting this week, the previously introduced Google Drive Chat app will be automatically installed and send you notifications about recent activity in Google Drive documents, such as new comments and share requests. Directly in Chat, you can now: 
  • Reply to or resolve comments in Docs, Sheets and Slides, which includes the ability to mention your colleagues easily while replying. 
  • Choose the appropriate access level (e.g. viewer, commenter, editor) for share requests. 
  • See when you’ve been mentioned in Docs, Sheets or Slides using Chat’s “Mentions” shortcut. 
  • Easily block a sender or report abuse from the Drive Chat app’s notifications when they come from a user outside of your organization. 
While this new app will be automatically installed, you can easily manage notifications, mute or uninstall the app at any time by going to the three dot overflow menu. 
responding to a comment using Drive Chat app


Getting started 


Rollout pace 


Availability 

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers and Workspace Individual Subscribers 

Resources