dbcve.org
ChromeWeb browser · Google

CVE-2026-7990

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 148.0.7778.96 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
Insufficient validation of untrusted input in Updater in Google Chrome on Windows prior to 148.0.7778.96 allowed a local attacker to perform OS-level privilege escalation via a malicious file. (Chromium security severity: Medium)

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 vulnerability in Google Chrome's Updater component on Windows versions prior to 148.0.7778.96 allows local attackers to perform OS-level privilege escalation through insufficient validation of untrusted input in a malicious file. The Updater, which runs with elevated privileges to install browser updates, fails to properly validate input before executing, enabling a local user to inject malicious code that runs with elevated privileges.

MitigationUpdate Google Chrome to version 148.0.7778.96 or later on all affected Windows systems. In enterprise environments, deploy the update organization-wide and verify successful installation.

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:< 148.0.7778.96

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. Confirm Google Chrome is installed on Windows
    Open Programs and Features (appwiz.cpl) or check for Chrome in C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\
    Affected if Google Chrome browser is present on the Windows system
  2. Identify the installed Google Chrome version
    Launch Chrome, click the three-dot menu, go to Help > About Google Chrome, or check the version file in the Chrome Application folder, or query the Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Google Chrome
    Affected if The displayed version number is visible and can be compared
  3. Compare installed version against the affected range
    Take the installed version number (for example, 148.0.7778.0) and compare it numerically to 148.0.7778.96 - each version component must be compared in order (major.minor.build.patch)
    Affected if The installed version is lower than 148.0.7778.96 in any component comparison
  4. Verify the Windows Updater component exists
    Check for the Chrome Update service or the GoogleUpdate.exe process/service running on the system, typically found in C:\Program Files\Google\Update\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Update\
    Affected if The Chrome Updater component is present and runs with elevated privileges on the Windows system

The environment is affected if Google Chrome is installed on Windows with a version number lower than 148.0.7778.96, as the vulnerable Updater component runs with elevated privileges on those versions.

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 148.0.7778.96 or later
Fixed in 148.0.7778.96
Interim mitigation

Update Google Chrome to version 148.0.7778.96 or later on all affected Windows systems. In enterprise environments, deploy the update organization-wide and verify successful installation.

Recommended fix High confidence

Chrome 148.0.7778.96 or later for Windows

  1. Open Google Chrome on the affected Windows machine
  2. Navigate to Settings (three-dot menu) > Help > About Google Chrome
  3. Chrome will automatically check for updates
  4. If version 148.0.7778.96 or later is available, click 'Update Google Chrome'
  5. Restart the browser to apply the update
  6. Verify the update was successful by returning to About Google Chrome and confirming the version number

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

Fix this in Chrome Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $890
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,424.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-7990 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2026-7990 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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