Google Chrome is now using even more RAM than ever before after the internet browser's latest update, and there is nothing that users can do about it.
Users may be thinking that the increased RAM usage is a bug, but it is actually caused by a new feature that was launched on Google Chrome 67. There is a higher chance that using Google Chrome will slow down computers, but the trade-off is apparently worth it.
Google Chrome Using Too Much RAM?
Google Chrome users may have recently noticed that the RAM usage of the internet browser has recently increased, upping the chances that it will cause the computer to slow down.
High RAM usage has always been one of the major complaints against Google Chrome, and the problem looks like it will get worse with Google Chrome 67.
Google itself acknowledged that Google Chrome 67 will use up higher RAM than before, but for a good reason. The Site Isolation feature, which was optional since Google Chrome 67, is now activated by default for all users of the internet browser to protect against the hacker attacks known as Spectre and Meltdown.
Google Chrome vs Spectre And Meltdown
Two severe CPU security flaws, named Spectre and Meltdown, shook the technology industry when they were discovered in January. This was because the design flaw affected every CPU in the market, enabling hackers to launch attacks such as stealing sensitive information when victims visit malicious websites.
To better protect its users, Google launched Site Isolation in Google Chrome 63. The feature looked to improve stability, while making the internet browser more resistant to attacks such as Spectre.
With Site Isolation enabled, websites opened in separate tabs on Google Chrome are treated as different processes instead of a single one. This means that when users visit a malicious website, attackers will not be able to see the data that has been loaded in other websites as those are different processes than the one that launched the malicious website.
Google Chrome's Site Isolation is now enabled by default on 99 percent of Windows, Mac, Linux, and Chrome OS users. The trade-off, however, is that Google Chrome will consume 10 percent to 13 percent of additional RAM. The figure is not as high as the initially expected 20 percent increase in RAM usage, but it is still a pretty significant number.
Site Isolation, however, does not prevent attacks exploiting Meltdown, as only operating system and hardware solutions are effective against it.
