Affects Google Chrome, a widely deployed browser; enables remote code execution on endpoints.
CVE-2026-9978
Use-after-free in Chrome enables remote code execution via crafted HTML page.
Is CVE-2026-9978 being exploited?
Not confirmed. CVE-2026-9978 does not appear in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which records only exploitation that has been observed and reported publicly. That is evidence of absence of a report, not evidence the flaw is unattacked. EPSS currently estimates a 0.23% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How severe is CVE-2026-9978?
CVE-2026-9978 is rated High with a CVSS score of 8.8. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2026-9978?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2026-9978. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2026-9978 affect?
CVE-2026-9978 affects Google Chrome (<148.0.7778.216), Chromium-based browsers. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2026-9978?
Update to 148.0.7778.216 or newer.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
Remote code execution in the sandbox via a crafted HTML page.
Patch when possible
- affected< 148.0.7778.216
As published in the CVE Program record. A version outside these ranges is not a statement that it is unaffected — vendors sometimes understate a range, and distribution-backported builds carry upstream numbers that do not reflect what was patched into them.