The alert was released by Indian Computer Emergency Response Team, which operates under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. According to the advisory, the flaw affects multiple versions of Chrome across Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms and carries a high risk of system compromise.
CERT-In noted that attackers could exploit the vulnerability through specially crafted HTML webpages, making everyday browsing activity a potential attack vector for users running unpatched browser versions.
Affected versions
The agency stated that the security issue impacts Google Chrome versions earlier than 145.0.7632.75/76 for Windows and Mac systems, and versions prior to 144.0.7559.75 for Linux. Users who have not updated their browsers remain exposed to possible remote attacks.
The browser is developed by Google and is widely used across personal devices, offices, and educational institutions in India for web access, online transactions, and cloud-based services.
Warning details
The vulnerability stems from a use-after-free flaw in Chrome’s CSS rendering component, which manages how web content is displayed. Such flaws can allow attackers to manipulate memory handling inside the browser, enabling unauthorised code execution.
CERT-In warned that successful exploitation could lead to full system compromise, data theft, and service disruptions. The agency categorised the threat as high risk due to the potential for attackers to gain control over affected systems without user awareness.
What users should do
To mitigate the risk, CERT-In has urged individuals and organisations to immediately install the latest Chrome updates released through Google’s Stable Channel. These updates include security patches that address the vulnerability.
Users can update Chrome by opening the browser settings, navigating to “About Chrome,” and allowing the latest version to download and install automatically before restarting the browser.
The vulnerability has been assigned CVE-2026-2441 and is detailed in Google’s official security bulletin linked within the advisory.
With Chrome forming a key part of daily internet use across India, cybersecurity officials have emphasised that delaying updates could leave systems exposed to remote exploitation.
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