ChromeWeb browser · Google

CVE-2026-8518

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-14

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to 148.0.7778.168 or later.

See remediation →

95/100

Remediation priority · Urgent

Remotely reachable No privileges

Official description

NVD · unedited

Use after free in Blink in Google Chrome prior to 148.0.7778.168 allowed a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code inside a sandbox via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: Critical)

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Use-after-free vulnerability in Blink (Google Chrome's rendering engine) allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code inside the sandbox via a crafted HTML page. The flaw occurs when memory is freed but still referenced, enabling potential code execution.

MitigationUpdate Google Chrome to version 148.0.7778.168 or later to patch the vulnerability. Apply via standard patch management or group policy deployment.

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:< 148.0.7778.168

CVSS breakdown

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?

dbcve checks

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

Check installed Google Chrome version

Open chrome://version in the Chrome address bar or run 'chrome --version' from command line. On Windows, also check Registry key: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Google Chrome\Version

Affected if The displayed version number is lower than 148.0.7778.168
Identify all Chrome installations on the system

Search for chrome.exe in common installation paths: %ProgramFiles%\Google\Chrome\Application\, %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Google\Chrome\Application\, and %LocalAppData%\Google\Chrome\Application\. Check each installation's version.

Affected if Any Chrome installation found is below version 148.0.7778.168
Check for Chrome extensions or embedded Chrome components

Review installed software that embeds Chromium/Chrome components (e.g., Microsoft Edge, Discord, Slack, Spotify) as they may use vulnerable Blink versions. Check their about pages or help menus for version info.

Affected if Embedded Chrome components are at a version below 148.0.7778.168
Determine if Chrome is actively used

Review browser usage logs, enterprise proxy logs, or user survey data to confirm Chrome is used in the environment. The vulnerability is triggered when a user visits a crafted HTML page.

Affected if Users actively use any Google Chrome installation below version 148.0.7778.168 to browse web content

The environment is affected if any Google Chrome installation version is below 148.0.7778.168 and users browse web pages with that browser.

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

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to 148.0.7778.168 or later

Fixed in 148.0.7778.168

Interim mitigation

Update Google Chrome to version 148.0.7778.168 or later to patch the vulnerability. Apply via standard patch management or group policy deployment.

Recommended fix High confidence

148.0.7778.168 or later (any stable version newer than 148.0.7778.168)

Open Chrome and navigate to Settings > Help > About Google Chrome to check the current version
If the version is below 148.0.7778.168, Chrome will automatically check for and install updates
Restart Chrome after the update completes
Verify the version is now 148.0.7778.168 or later by returning to Settings > Help > About Google Chrome

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

Fix this in Chrome Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation2.0 h
Implementation4.0 h
Testing2.0 h
Review / QA1.0 h

9.0 hours of engineering $1,600

Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally

dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-8518 — 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

Primary sources

chromereleases.googleblog.comProductVendor Advisory
issues.chromium.orgPermissions Required
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-8518 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2026-8518?

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 148.0.7778.168 or later

Severity 8.8 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 0.3%

Affects: Chrome

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Chrome 9 hrs · Low

Typical engagement from $1,600

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2026-8518 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