Should you update to Chrome 157.0.8103.38?
Yes, this week. Chrome 157.0.8103.38 is a security update Google released on 3 Nov 2026 for Mac, Windows and Linux. It fixes 213 security flaws, 7 rated critical and 77 high by Google.[1] None of them is known to be used in attacks.
It is the newest Chrome release, so it’s the one to have.
Should you update?
Yes, this week. Google rates 7 fixes critical, and attackers study each release to work out what it fixed. Every security update closes holes that become public the moment it ships, so the risk of staying on the old version only grows. Waiting a week to see if others hit problems is a common habit; with a security update it’s the wrong trade.
Is Chrome 157.0.8103.38 safe to install?
Yes. It’s Google’s own security release, and updates rarely go wrong; a backup makes it painless if one does. The one unsafe way to get it is from a link: Google never sends updates by email, text or pop-up, so install it only from Chrome’s own About page (chrome://settings/help).
What it fixes
Google lists 213 security flaws, 7 rated critical and 77 high by Google.[1] The 84 critical and high ones are:
| Flaw | Severity | What Google calls it |
|---|---|---|
CVE-2026-121156 | Critical | Buffer overflow in Dawn |
CVE-2026-121229 | Critical | Memory corruption in ANGLE |
CVE-2026-121246 | Critical | Use after free in WebGL |
CVE-2026-121035 | Critical | Use after free in Prerender |
CVE-2026-121247 | Critical | Buffer overflow in Dawn |
CVE-2026-121203 | Critical | Use after free in Geometry |
CVE-2026-121126 | Critical | Use after free in Core |
CVE-2026-121107 | High | Incorrect authorization in BackgroundFetch |
CVE-2026-121197 | High | Out of bounds read in ANGLE |
CVE-2026-121112 | High | Out of bounds read in Permissions |
CVE-2026-121174 | High | Missing authorization in BackgroundFetch |
CVE-2026-121098 | High | Improper state validation in GPU |
CVE-2026-121074 | High | Memory corruption in GPU |
CVE-2026-121173 | High | Uninitialized resource in WebGL |
CVE-2026-121233 | High | Type confusion in CacheStorage |
CVE-2026-121140 | High | Out of bounds read in Internals |
CVE-2026-121095 | High | Uninitialized resource in WebGL |
CVE-2026-121071 | High | Incorrect authorization in FileSystem |
CVE-2026-121207 | High | Uninitialized resource in Dawn |
CVE-2026-121185 | High | Use after free in PictureInPicture |
CVE-2026-121166 | High | Type confusion in PDFium |
CVE-2026-121047 | High | Buffer overflow in Media |
CVE-2026-121124 | High | Improper adherence to coding standards in XML |
CVE-2026-121118 | High | Use after free in SVG |
CVE-2026-121188 | High | Use after free in PerformanceAPIs |
CVE-2026-121113 | High | Buffer overflow in PDFium |
CVE-2026-121082 | High | Type confusion in V8 |
CVE-2026-121083 | High | Use after free in Compositing |
CVE-2026-121179 | High | Use after free in PDFium |
CVE-2026-121180 | High | Buffer overflow in Media |
| and 54 more | ||
How to update, and how long it takes
A minute or two. Chrome downloads it in the background, and relaunching reopens your tabs.
- Open Chrome’s About page.Type chrome://settings/help in the address bar, or open the ⋮ menu → Help → About Google Chrome. Chrome checks and downloads the update.
- Click Relaunch.Chrome reopens your tabs. Until you relaunch, the old, unfixed version keeps running.
- Do the same in every Chromium browser.Edge, Brave, Opera and Vivaldi are built on the same code and get the same fixes a few days later.
To check it worked: chrome://settings/help shows the version, and says “Chrome is up to date” when it is. It should say 157.0.8103.38 or later.
156.0.8078.79 vs 157.0.8103.38
Chrome 156.0.8078.79, released 29 Oct 2026, fixed 21 security flaws. Chrome 157.0.8103.38 fixes 213 security flaws and includes the fixes before it, so going straight to 157.0.8103.38 gets you both.
- Before: Chrome 156.0.8078.79, 29 Oct 2026, 21 security flaws
- After: none yet. This is the newest.
- Chrome updates, every release and the latest version
- Updates, the latest version of everything HARD tracks
References
- ^ Google. “Stable Channel Update for Desktop”, 3 Nov 2026.