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ChromeWeb browser · Google

CVE-2026-3540

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-03-04
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 145.0.7632.159 / 145.0.7632.160 or later.
See remediation →
95/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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 WebAudio in Google Chrome prior to 145.0.7632.159 allowed a remote attacker to perform out of bounds memory access via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: High)

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 · high confidence

An out-of-bounds memory access vulnerability exists in the WebAudio implementation of Google Chrome prior to version 145.0.7632.159. A remote attacker can exploit this by tricking users into visiting a crafted HTML page, potentially leading to memory corruption that could enable arbitrary code execution or information disclosure.

MitigationUpdate Google Chrome to version 145.0.7632.159 or later. Organizations should ensure endpoints have automatic browser updates enabled or deploy the updated version via their patch management infrastructure.

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:< 145.0.7632.159< 145.0.7632.160

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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. Confirm Google Chrome is installed
    Check for Chrome executable in typical installation paths (e.g., C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe on Windows, /Applications/Google Chrome.app on macOS, or /usr/bin/google-chrome on Linux). Alternatively, run 'google-chrome --version' or 'chrome --version' in terminal.
    Affected if Google Chrome browser is present on the endpoint
  2. Retrieve installed Chrome version
    Open Chrome and navigate to chrome://version, or run 'google-chrome --product-version' in command line. Record the full version string displayed.
    Affected if Unable to determine version indicates Chrome may not be standard installation
  3. Compare version against affected range
    Compare the installed version number to the affected range: less than 145.0.7632.159 or less than 145.0.7632.160. Note that versions like 145.0.7632.158, 145.0.7632.155, or 144.x.x.x are all vulnerable.
    Affected if Installed version is 145.0.7632.158 or lower, or any version below 145.0.7632.159/160
  4. Verify WebAudio is enabled (optional context)
    In Chrome, navigate to chrome://settings and search for WebAudio, or inspect chrome://flags for WebAudio-related flags. WebAudio is enabled by default in Chrome.
    Affected if WebAudio has been explicitly disabled - this would prevent exploitation but is uncommon

User is affected if Google Chrome is installed and the version is below 145.0.7632.159 (or 145.0.7632.160 depending on build channel).

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 145.0.7632.159 / 145.0.7632.160 or later
Fixed in 145.0.7632.159145.0.7632.160
Interim mitigation

Update Google Chrome to version 145.0.7632.159 or later. Organizations should ensure endpoints have automatic browser updates enabled or deploy the updated version via their patch management infrastructure.

Recommended fix High confidence

Google Chrome 145.0.7632.159 or later

  1. Open Google Chrome and navigate to Settings > Help > About Google Chrome
  2. Verify the current version number displayed
  3. If the version is below 145.0.7632.159, Chrome will automatically check for and download updates
  4. Click 'Update Google Chrome' if an update is available
  5. Wait for the download and installation to complete
  6. Restart Chrome to apply the update
  7. After restarting, return to Settings > Help > About Google Chrome to confirm the version is 145.0.7632.159 or higher

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

Fix this in Chrome Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.

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-2026-3540 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