ChromeWeb browser · Google
CVE-2026-8521
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 · uneditedUse after free in Tab Groups in Google Chrome prior to 148.0.7778.168 allowed a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code via malicious network traffic. (Chromium security severity: Critical)
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 confidenceUse-after-free vulnerability in Google Chrome's Tab Groups feature prior to version 148.0.7778.168 allows a remote attacker to achieve arbitrary code execution through malicious network traffic. The vulnerability stems from memory being accessed after being freed, which can be exploited to corrupt memory and execute attacker-controlled code.
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
< 148.0.7778.168CVSS 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
- Adjacent
- Complexity
- High
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Determine installed Google Chrome versionNavigate to chrome://version in the Chrome address bar or go to Help > About Google Chrome. The version number is displayed at the top of the page.Affected if The version number displayed is lower than 148.0.7778.168 (for example, 148.0.7778.100 or earlier).
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Verify Tab Groups feature is accessibleOpen a new tab in Chrome, right-click on any open tab, and look for the 'Add to new group' option in the context menu. Alternatively, right-click a tab and select 'Add to existing group' if groups already exist.Affected if The Tab Groups context menu options are visible and functional, indicating the feature is enabled.
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Check Chrome update configurationNavigate to chrome://settings/help and verify the update status shown on the page. Also check chrome://settings for 'Automatically update Chrome' under the 'Privacy and security' section.Affected if Updates are disabled, failed, or the browser has not automatically updated to version 148.0.7778.168 or later.
A user is affected if their Chrome version is below 148.0.7778.168 and the Tab Groups feature is accessible and enabled in their browser.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped148.0.7778.168
Update Google Chrome to version 148.0.7778.168 or later to address the vulnerability. Organizations should ensure endpoints have automated browser updates enabled or deploy the update through their patch management infrastructure.
Chrome 148.0.7778.168 or later
- 1. Open Google Chrome on your system
- 2. Click the three-dot menu icon in the upper-right corner
- 3. Select 'Help' from the dropdown menu
- 4. Click 'About Google Chrome'
- 5. Chrome will automatically check for and download any available updates
- 6. Ensure the version shown is 148.0.7778.168 or later
- 7. If an update is available, click 'Update Google Chrome'
- 8. Click 'Relaunch' to restart the browser and apply the update
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-8521 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-8521 in production — separate from our analysis above.
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
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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.
- 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