- Google fixes Chrome zero-day CVE-2026-2441, a “use after free” flaw in CSS
- Exploit allowed arbitrary code execution via crafted HTML pages, actively abused in the wild
- Update to Chrome 145.0.7632.75/76 (Windows/Mac) or 144.0.7559.75 (Linux) to stay protected
Google has fixed a serious vulnerability in the Chrome browser that was apparently used as a zero-day in the wild.
In a security advisory, Google said it addressed CVE-2026-2441, a “use of free in CSS in Google Chrome before 145.0.7632.75”. This flaw, given a severity score of 8.3/10 (High), allows threat actors to execute arbitrary code inside a sandbox via a crafted HTML page.
Normally, Google would push all Chrome updates automatically, so if you haven’t disabled automatic updates, just restart the browser and make sure it’s running 145.0.7632.75/76 for Windows and MacOS or 144.0.7559.75 for Linux.
First zero day in 2026
If you have disabled automatic updates, be sure to open Chrome, click the three dots in the upper right corner and navigate to Help – About Google Chrome. On this page, the browser will automatically start checking for updates and will download and ask you to restart it.
Since the bug is being actively exploited, be sure to apply the fix as soon as possible.
“Google is aware that an exploit of CVE-2026-2441 exists in the wild,” Google said in a security advisory. It did not say who the victims were, how the flaw was exploited, or who the attackers were. It said it deliberately withheld this information until the majority of browsers were patched, so as not to give other threat actors any advantages.
According to Bleeping Computerthis is the first actively exploited Chrome vulnerability that has been patched since the start of the year. The publication also highlighted that the company patched eight zero-days last year, many of which were exploited by state-sponsored threat actors.
The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has not yet added this flaw to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities.
Via Bleeping Computer
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