A Vietnamese security company, Bach Koa Internetwork Security (BKIS), have discovered and posted on their blog a critical security vulnerability for Google’s new browser, Chrome. Google have fixed this and another discovered flaw in Chrome’s WebKit engine. The updated version 0.2.149.29 can be downloaded here. Alternatively, you can update Google Chrome by choosing “About > Update” from the wrench menu. Chrome will download a newer version if necessary and then restart.

The flaw consists of a buffer overflow that could be triggered by saving a page with an overly long title header. This could be then used to remotely execute code. This exploit can be used to affect computers running Windows XP SP2 and Chrome 0.2.149.27. Google advises upgrading immediately.

The other error resolved by the update is the so-called “carpet bombing” flaw, inherent to the older version of WebKit on which Chrome is based. Using this flaw, it could be possible for Windows to automatically download a potentially harmful JAR file without alerting the user.

Another problem discovered shortly after release was that Chrome could be made to crash by using a link with an undefined handler. Rishi Narang, security expert at EvilFingers.com and discoverer of this latest flaw has released an advisory.

All three vulnerabilities have been fixed with the latest release. Although Chrome has been used internally for about two years before its low-key release, it is still considered a beta by Google and will likely be subject to many such security patches during the following months.