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ChromeWeb browser · Google

CVE-2021-37969

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-10-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 94.0.4606.54 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Inappropriate implementation in Google Updater in Google Chrome on Windows prior to 94.0.4606.54 allowed a remote attacker to perform local privilege escalation via a crafted file.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

A local privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the Google Chrome Updater component on Windows versions prior to 94.0.4606.54. An attacker with local access can exploit an inappropriate implementation flaw by using a crafted file to elevate privileges, likely by manipulating the updater to execute code with elevated permissions.

MitigationUpdate Google Chrome for Windows to version 94.0.4606.54 or later to patch the vulnerable updater component.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
ChromeWeb browser
Affected:< 94.0.4606.54
FedoraOperating system
Affected:= 33= 35
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 10.0= 11.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check installed Google Chrome version on Windows
    Open Chrome and navigate to chrome://settings/help, or run 'reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Google Chrome" /v Version' in Command Prompt
    Affected if Version number is less than 94.0.4606.54
  2. Locate the Chrome Updater executable
    Search for GoogleUpdate.exe or GoogleUpdateSetup.exe in typical directories: %ProgramFiles%\Google\Update\ or %LocalAppData%\Google\Update\
    Affected if The updater executable exists on the system (vulnerable component is present)
  3. Check the Chrome Updater service version
    Open Task Manager, go to Services tab, find 'Google Update Service (gupdate)' or 'GoogleUpdateServiceMachine', right-click and view Properties to see the executable path and version
    Affected if The service points to an updater version associated with Chrome < 94.0.4606.54
  4. Verify updater file version directly
    Right-click on the GoogleUpdate.exe file in the Update folder, select Properties, and view the Details tab for the File Version
    Affected if File version is lower than 94.0.4606.54 or version cannot be determined (older updater)

A user is affected if Google Chrome or the Chrome Updater component on Windows is installed with a version prior to 94.0.4606.54 and the updater service is present and executable.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 94.0.4606.54 or later
Fixed in 94.0.4606.54
Interim mitigation

Update Google Chrome for Windows to version 94.0.4606.54 or later to patch the vulnerable updater component.

Recommended fix High confidence

Chrome 94.0.4606.54 or later (current stable recommended)

  1. 1. Open Google Chrome on the affected Windows system
  2. 2. Navigate to Chrome Settings (three-dot menu > Settings)
  3. 3. Click 'About Chrome' in the left sidebar
  4. 4. Chrome will automatically check for updates and download version 94.0.4606.54 or later
  5. 5. Click 'Relaunch' to apply the update
  6. 6. Alternatively, download the latest stable Chrome from chrome.google.com or the official Google Chrome download page
  7. 7. Run the installer to upgrade to the latest version which contains the fix for CVE-2021-37969

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Chrome Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,984.

Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-37969 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data