CVE-2026-2441
CVE-2026-2441 is a security flaw in Chrome and other Chromium browsers, the open-source browser that Chrome, Edge, Brave and Opera are built on. A booby-trapped web page can run an attacker's code through Chrome and other Chromium browsers. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks on 17 Feb 2026.[1]
Chrome and other Chromium browsers is in things households have, such as phones, computers, browsers and everyday apps, so the fix matters at home as much as at work. Fixed in version 145.0.7632.75 of Chrome.
Description
CISA calls it a CSS use-after-free in Google Chromium. In its words: “Google Chromium CSS contains a use-after-free vulnerability that could allow a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. This vulnerability could affect multiple web browsers that utilize Chromium, including, but not limited to, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Opera.”[1]
The underlying weakness is use after free (CWE-416), in MITRE’s list of common software weaknesses.[2]
It scores 8.8 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which rates it high, scored by NVD using CVSS 3.1.[2]
Affected versions
NVD’s record lists one fixed version: everything before it is affected.[2]
| Product | Fixed in |
|---|---|
| Chrome | 145.0.7632.75 |
Every device with Chrome and other Chromium browsers needs the update.
Exploitation
CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 17 Feb 2026, 4 days after it was made public. CISA lists a flaw only when it has reliable evidence of it being exploited, and gave US federal agencies until 10 Mar 2026 to fix it.[1]
FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System, which estimates how likely a flaw is to be used in attacks in the next 30 days from what it sees across the internet, puts it at 55%. That’s in the top 1% of the flaws it scores.[4]
CISA assesses it as not automatable: each attack takes some work.
CISA doesn’t say who was attacked, or how.
Fix
Google has published a fix or advice.[3] CISA’s required action: “Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.”[1]
- Update Chrome and other Chromium browsers now.Chrome updates itself, but only finishes when you restart it: open the menu, choose Help, then About Google Chrome, and click Relaunch. Edge, Brave, Opera and Vivaldi need the same. Then turn on automatic updates, so the next fix arrives on its own.
- Check you’re on 145.0.7632.75 or later.Fixed in version 145.0.7632.75 of Chrome. Anything older is what attackers are going after.
- If there’s no update, stop using it.CISA’s advice when a flaw being used in attacks has no fix is to stop using the product until it does.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| The flaw is made public in the National Vulnerability Database, with a severity score of 8.8.[2] | |
| CISA adds it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks.[1] | |
| CISA’s deadline for US government agencies to fix it.[1] | |
| FIRST puts the odds of it being used in attacks in the next 30 days at 55%.[4] |
See also
Other Chrome and other Chromium browsers flaws
- CVE-2025-14174: out of bounds memory access ·
- CVE-2025-6558: ANGLE and GPU improper input validation ·
- CVE-2024-4671: visuals use-after-free ·
- CVE-2021-37976: information disclosure ·
- CVE-2021-21166: race condition ·
Other Google flaws
- CVE-2026-111497, Google Brotli: unchecked return value ·
- CVE-2026-58704, Google Pixel: improper authorization ·
- CVE-2026-87491, Chrome and other Chromium browsers: out of bounds write ·
- CVE-2026-85046, Chrome and other Chromium browsers: type confusion ·
- CVE-2026-11645, Chrome and other Chromium browsers: out-of-bounds read and write ·
Other use after free flaws
- CVE-2026-109619, PHP: stale internal request-state ·
- CVE-2026-109618, PHP: memory corruption ·
- CVE-2026-68820, Microsoft Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock: use-after-free ·
- CVE-2010-0249, Microsoft Internet Explorer: use-after-free ·
- CVE-2020-9715, Adobe Acrobat: use-after-free ·
Added the same day
- CVE-2024-7694, TeamT5 ThreatSonar Anti-Ransomware: unrestricted upload of file with dangerous type ·
- CVE-2020-7796, Synacor Zimbra Collaboration Suite: (ZCS) server-side request forgery ·
- CVE-2008-0015, Microsoft Windows: video activeX control remote code execution ·
Every Google flaw on CISA’s list · Everything added in February 2026
References
- ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “Google Chromium CSS Use-After-Free Vulnerability”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 17 Feb 2026.
- ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2026-2441 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 13 Feb 2026.
- ^ Google. Advisories and fixes: chromereleases.googleblog.com.
- ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.550, percentile 99.0, 31 Oct 2026.
- CVE Program. “CVE-2026-2441”. The official CVE record.
This article is built from CISA’s catalog (version 2026.10.30), NVD’s record and FIRST’s scores, kept in HARD’s database and checked every morning. The plain English is HARD’s.