ChromeWeb browser · Google

CVE-2026-7997

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

NVD · unedited

Insufficient validation of untrusted input in Updater in Google Chrome on Mac prior to 148.0.7778.96 allowed a local attacker to perform OS-level privilege escalation via a malicious file. (Chromium security severity: Low)

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

Insufficient validation of untrusted input in the Chrome Updater component on Mac OS allows a local attacker to escalate privileges to OS-level by tricking the updater into processing a malicious file. The updater runs with elevated privileges, and the lack of proper input validation enables arbitrary code execution with those elevated rights.

MitigationUpdate Google Chrome for Mac to version 148.0.7778.96 or later. For enterprise environments, deploy the update via standard patch management processes and verify completion across all managed Mac endpoints.

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

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

ChromeWeb browser

Affected:< 148.0.7778.96

CVSS breakdown

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?

dbcve checks

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

Confirm Mac OS environment

Run 'sw_vers' or check System Preferences > About to verify the operating system is macOS. This vulnerability only affects the Chrome Updater on Mac OS.

Affected if The system is not running Mac OS - this vulnerability does not apply to Windows or Linux Chrome installations.
Locate Google Chrome installation

Run 'ls /Applications/Google Chrome.app/Contents/Info.plist' or check if /Applications/Google Chrome.app exists. Chrome is typically installed in /Applications on Mac.

Affected if Google Chrome is not installed on the Mac system.
Determine installed Chrome version

Run '/Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Chrome --version' or click Chrome > About Google Chrome in the menu bar to display the full version number.

Affected if The installed version is 148.0.7778.96 or higher - the vulnerability only affects versions before 148.0.7778.96.
Verify Chrome Updater component exists

Run 'ls ~/Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate/ or ls /Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate/' to check for the Chrome Updater directory. The vulnerable component is the Chrome Updater (GoogleSoftwareUpdate).

Affected if The Chrome Updater component is not present on the system.

A Mac system with Google Chrome installed is affected if the Chrome version is earlier than 148.0.7778.96 and the Chrome Updater component is present.

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

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to 148.0.7778.96 or later

Fixed in 148.0.7778.96

Interim mitigation

Update Google Chrome for Mac to version 148.0.7778.96 or later. For enterprise environments, deploy the update via standard patch management processes and verify completion across all managed Mac endpoints.

Recommended fix High confidence

Chrome version 148.0.7778.96 or later on Mac

Open Google Chrome on your Mac
Click on the Chrome menu (three-dot menu) in the top-right corner
Select 'Help' and then 'About Google Chrome'
Chrome will automatically check for updates and download version 148.0.7778.96 or later
Click 'Relaunch' to complete the update

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
Testing1.0 h
Review / QA1.0 h

5.0 hours of engineering $910

Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,456.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally

dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-7997 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

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References

Primary sources

chromereleases.googleblog.comVendor Advisory
issues.chromium.orgIssue TrackingPermissions Required
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-7997 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2026-7997?

The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.

The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
A config change or rule that shut the vector down
A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon

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

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to 148.0.7778.96 or later

Severity 7.8 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 0.1%

Affects: Chrome

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Chrome 5 hrs · Low

Typical engagement from $910

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2026-7997 and return a fixed quote and timeline.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

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

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References