Google Chrome already has a history in regards to RAM consumption. However, some recent updates have already helped to fix this problem, or at least reduce it. According to a news release by the company itself in its official blog, the browser will once again enjoy the component of our machines due to a bug fix.
The Site Isolation tool, which was implemented with the release of Chrome 67 for Windows, MacOS, ChromeOS, and Linux, will be responsible for this change. This component has been applied to browsers to prevent future Specter attacks, making our data and usability safer.
What is Specter?
In early January, researchers found a flaw in the Intel processors fabricated over the last decade, bringing the need for a redesign in major market systems (Windows, MacOS, and Linux), making CPUs 30 percent slower but higher safety.
Google Project Zero titled these Specter attacks (which received another variation in May) and Meltdown. Although somewhat complicated to understand at first, this type of threat uses the memory resources of the CPUs themselves to hinder data processing.
Although not harmful to the machine in general, web browsers run JavaScript codes on several websites, with the aim of stealing the information to create even more chaos on the internet.
Site Isolation
Top browsers on the market have responded to Google’s request and have deployed tools to smooth Specter activity, including reducing timing granularity and changing their JavaScript compilers to make attacks less likely to succeed.
But Site Isolation has more “firepower” to prevent data from being stolen in the event of a Specter attack. This security format makes a change in the browser architecture, making Chrome, for example, limit the document rendering process to a single site.
This new framework will help the browser to rely more on the operating system to protect it from future attacks, bringing fluidity to the integration of the software. The end consumer has no way to identify this as it will work behind the scenes.
Although all the advantages that this process will bring to the security of our data, especially those who use the computer as a working tool, it seems that Site Isolation will bring back the increase in the memory consumption of the browser, something that had already been good reduced.
“Site Isolation causes Chrome to create more rendering processes, which comes with performance changes – on the positive side, each rendering process is shorter and has less contention internally, but there is an overhead of 10% and 13% of total memory in real workloads because of a large number of processes, “explains Charlie Reis, software engineer at Google.
Even with this small disadvantage, knowing that browsers will be more secure, even makes users more complaints are reassured, taking into account the justification for such consumption.
And you, dear reader, what do you think of this news? Will we only feel a 10% to 13% increase? Reply here in the comments!
