By Jason Mannet

Google Chrome users are facing a new cyber threat that uses drive-by download attacks. This strategy targets people who want to download the Google Chrome web browser app. It could put malware on their systems.

Security experts are telling users to be careful when they download things. Shmuel Uzan has reported on a new malware called ValleyRAT. It uses phishing emails, bad websites, and instant messaging to trick users into downloading it.

In a recent attack, the threat actors made a fake website that looked like a Chinese telecom company to spread the malware. Jamie Akhtar, CEO at CyberSmart, said these attacks are getting more advanced and targeted. The campaign focuses on finance, sales, and accounting workers because they have access to sensitive data.

Akhtar said this technique will likely be copied and used to target Western companies. He told people to be careful when downloading software tools. Erich Kron from KnowBe4 said it’s important to only download software from real publisher sites.

He warned that malware on other sites and in ads can be very effective. Kron said taking steps to stay safe is crucial, especially for popular software like Google Chrome.

Chrome users also need to watch out for security holes in the browser. These affect Android, Linux, macOS, and Windows systems. Some major issues are:

– CVE-2025-0444: A high-rated problem in the Skia browser part.

– CVE-2025-0445: A high-rated issue in Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine. – CVE-2025-0451: A medium-rated problem in the Extensions API. Google has released a new ChromeOS version, 126.0.6478.264, to fix more security holes:

– CVE-2025-0437: An out of bounds memory read issue in Metrics.

– CVE-2025-0438: A stack buffer overflow in Tracing. To stay safe, users should keep Chrome and their operating systems updated. Google does a lot of this automatically, but users can check for updates in the Help|About Google Chrome menu.

Cybersecurity experts say users, especially those with sensitive data, need to stay alert. The key steps are to make sure downloads are from real sources and to keep software up to date.

By Richard Thompson

Apprenticeships have a part to play in bridging skills gaps in a range of industries on the Isle of Man, the executive director of an education foundation has said.

Olly Newton of the Edge Foundation featured on a panel at an event highlighting how the schemes could help with the growth of Manx firms on Thursday.

He said people in smaller communities such as an island, or in rural villages in the UK, needed "study and work opportunities", which would in turn bolster the economy.

Encouraging firms facing labour shortages to consider offering the schemes, he said it could be used as a "vehicle" to find staff to develop.

University College Isle of Man (UCM) teamed up with the Manx government's Skills Board to host the session as part of National Apprenticeship Week.

A strategy was recently put together by the board, which included he aims of developing the island's workforce to meet current and future needs of businesses.

Grants for the Apprenticeship and Vocational Training Assistance schemes were also increased last year to support recruitment for firms.

Mr Newton spent 12 years at the UK's Department for Education is now Executive Director Edge Foundation, which promotes the upskilling of young people through education schemes.

He said: "Across the British Isles, and globally, we've got real shortages in areas that are going to become increasingly important, like healthcare."

There was now a "much broader range of apprenticeships" in fields such as finance, IT and the creative industries, as well as the traditional construction trades, he said.

"On-the-job learning" was a "chance for businesses to pass on their knowledge to the next generation" and think about "the pipeline of staff they want in the future", he added.