GoKawiil
Tech News
Solipsism Browser is a new open-source Android browser built on Chromium that launched about three months ago, offering extensive customization and design options typically associated with Firefox forks rather than Chrome. Despite its early stage, reviewers note it already feels highly polished and distinct from mainstream Chromium-based browsers.
Google released Chrome version 152.0.7977.82/.83 to fix a high-severity zero-day flaw, CVE-2026-85046, a type confusion bug in the V8 JavaScript engine that is already being exploited in the wild. The update also patches 11 other vulnerabilities, including use-after-free and out-of-bounds memory issues across several Chrome components.
Nolan Lawson notes that several prominent frontend web development educators—including Axel Rauschmayer, Salma Alam-Naylor, Josh W. Comeau, Kent C. Dodds, Addy Osmani, Rachel Nabors, and Lydia Hallie—have either scaled back their work or pivoted toward AI-related topics. To illustrate the shift, Lawson tested Claude Sonnet on a nuanced Chrome performance debugging scenario involving high 'Style Calculation' costs, a problem that has historically tripped up even experienced developers, and found the AI's answer impressively accurate.
Google is rolling out the ability to upload files directly into the Gemini side panel in Chrome, through a new Add attachments option. Users can attach a document, such as a PDF, and ask Gemini to summarize it, extract details, or clarify sections without leaving the browser. The feature was first spotted by an X user and confirmed working in Chrome by Android Authority.
Google briefly published a Play Store listing for an app called Look Up, tied to its upcoming Googlebook laptop platform, before removing all screenshots and details. Some testers managed to sideload the app on Pixel phones running Android 17 even after it was pulled from public listing. The tool lets users highlight text and instantly query it through Search, Maps, and Flights, plus a chatbot box for follow-up questions.
A security-conscious writer outlines a personal 'threat modeling' approach to web browsing, contrasting unmodified browsers like Chrome and Edge—which allow ads, trackers, and GenAI features by default—with a hardened Firefox configuration used as their daily driver. The setup blocks intrusive scripts, cookies, and third-party content on most sites while carving out exceptions for work tools like Google Workspace.
Security firm Socket Inc. identified 19 malicious browser extensions for Chrome and Edge that operated for years before being caught. The most popular, a right-click/OCR utility, was installed by 80,000 combined users and secretly harvested cryptocurrency wallet data after receiving malicious updates roughly six months ago.
A commentator pushes back against a wave of criticism aimed at Mozilla's Firefox browser for maintaining a presence on X, noting that critics who switched to alternatives like Vivaldi remain active on the same or similar platforms. The piece frames this backlash as misguided given Firefox's shrinking market share and its role as one of the few browsers not built on Google's Chromium engine.
A new technical explainer breaks down why the browser's main thread—not slow code or large bundles—is usually the real cause of stuttering scrolling, delayed button clicks, and laggy typing in highly interactive web apps. It notes that JavaScript execution, rendering, event handling, and network callbacks all compete for the same single thread, so once an app becomes interaction-heavy, main-thread contention becomes the dominant performance bottleneck.
Google has completed its long-planned phase-out of Manifest V2 by removing all remaining MV2 extensions from the Chrome Web Store, including the popular ad blocker uBlock Origin. Extensions already installed on Chrome 138 or earlier will keep working but can no longer receive updates or be reinstalled once removed. Because the Chrome Web Store also serves other Chromium-based browsers, the removal affects users beyond Google Chrome itself.
Brave has rolled out a new 'email aliases' tool in its browser that lets users generate disposable email addresses which forward messages to their real inbox. Users can create up to five free aliases by verifying their main email through Brave's settings, then right-clicking any email field on a website to generate and insert an alias.
Security firm Socket uncovered a campaign, active since early 2024, in which 16 malware modules were pushed through browser extensions on the Chrome Web Store and Microsoft Edge add-ons store. Five extensions were initially legitimate but were bought from their original developers and later turned malicious via automatic updates, including one tool with roughly 70,000 Chrome users and 10,000 Edge users. Once activated, the extensions connected to remote servers to strip website security headers, inject phishing scripts, and drain cryptocurrency wallets on platforms like Coinbase, Binance, Kraken and MetaMask.