Google Chrome crashes when entering some URLs

There appears to be an error in Google Chrome that causes the browser to crash when entering certain URLs. This happens when there is a null character in the url. It also goes wrong if the user does a mouse-over on such a url.

The bug in Chrome was discovered by Andris Atteka, who detailed the find on his blog. Atteka discovered that entering a url containing a so-called null character causes the browser tab to crash. In some cases, the entire browser crashes, Venturebeat reports. The bug has been reported to Google, which appears to be working on a fix. The problem appears to be on the desktop versions of Chrome, but some Android browser users are also reporting crashes.

As an example, Atteka gave the url http://biome3d.com/%%30%30. It is striking that even a mouse-over on the relevant link ensures that the browser tab no longer works. It must also be a clickable link, so the URL in this article should therefore leave the browser tab of Chrome users intact.

A technical explanation for the bug can be found in old code that still works in the Chrome browser, Google’s Chromium code website explains. The error is unlikely to cause any security issues.