Google has issued an emergency security update for Chrome following the discovery of a high-severity zero day vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-2441, which is being actively exploited by threat actors. This represents the first major zero-day fix for Chrome in 2026, highlighting a persistent interest from attackers in exploiting browser memory management.


The Vulnerability: CSS "Use After Free

Discovered by security researcher Shaheen Fazim on February 11, 2026, the flaw is a Use After Free (UAF) vulnerability within Chrome’s CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) rendering engine.

Technically, the issue stems from an "iterator invalidation" flaw in the CSSFontFeatureValuesMap implementation. When a browser processes a specially crafted HTML page, it can be tricked into referencing memory that has already been deallocated (freed). This "dangling pointer" allows an attacker to manipulate memory to execute arbitrary code.

Why This is Dangerous

  • Zero-Click Trigger: Exploitation requires no complex user interaction. A victim simply needs to visit a malicious or compromised website (including via "malvertising") for the exploit to trigger.
  • Sandbox Escape Potential: While the vulnerability primarily allows code execution within the Chrome renderer sandbox, security experts warn that such flaws are often "chained" with other bugs to achieve a full sandbox escape, granting attackers access to the underlying operating system.
  • Active Exploitation: Google has officially confirmed that an exploit for CVE-2026-2441 "exists in the wild," meaning hackers were using this to target users before a patch was available.


CISA Steps In

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has already added CVE-2026-2441 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) Catalog. Federal agencies have been mandated to apply the updates by March 10, 2026, though individual users and private enterprises are urged to act immediately.

Affected Versions & Patches

The vulnerability affects the Chromium engine, meaning it impacts not just Google Chrome, but also Microsoft Edge, Brave, Opera, and Vivaldi.

Platform

Safe Version (Patch Released)

Windows

145.0.7632.75/76 or later

macOS

145.0.7632.75/76 or later

Linux

144.0.7559.75 or later


How to Protect Yourself

  1. Update Immediately: Open Chrome, go to Settings > About Chrome. The browser will automatically check for updates.
  2. Relaunch: The patch is only applied after you restart the browser. Ensure all windows are closed and reopened.
  3. Check Other Browsers: If you use Edge or Brave, check their respective "About" pages to ensure you have the latest Chromium based security fixes.

Security Tip: For Hacklido readers, this is a classic example of why Memory Safety remains the biggest battlefield in browser security. Even declarative languages like CSS can become attack vectors when handled by complex C++ engines.

Stay ahead. Stay dangerous.

Team Hacklido ❤️

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