Google Patches 21 Chrome Vulnerabilities, Including Zero-Day

Google released a security update for its Chrome browser on Thursday, addressing 21 vulnerabilities, including a zero-day flaw actively exploited by attackers. The update, part of the Stable Channel rollout, targets versions prior to 146.0.7680.177 for Linux and 146.0.7680.177 or 146.0.7680.178 for Windows and macOS, affecting users worldwide.

The most critical issue fixed is CVE-2026-5281, a use-after-free vulnerability in Dawn, Chrome's implementation of the WebGPU standard for graphics processing. This flaw allows a remote attacker who has compromised the renderer process to execute arbitrary code through a crafted HTML page. "Google is aware that an exploit for CVE-2026-5281 exists in the wild," the company stated in its security advisory. Such vulnerabilities can enable sandbox escapes, leading to unauthorized code execution, data theft, or system compromise, though Google provided no details on specific attacks to limit further exploitation while users update.

Of the 21 vulnerabilities patched, 19 are classified as high severity and two as medium. They include issues in components such as ANGLE, WebUSB, WebCodecs, WebGL, WebView, V8, and Chrome's rendering engine, all...