Google has released a critical security update for Chrome to fix a serious flaw in its V8 JavaScript engine. The new version, 142.0.7444.162 and 142.0.7444.163, is now rolling out to Windows, Mac, and Linux users over the next several days.
The Vulnerability
The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-13042, carries a high severity rating.
It involves an improper implementation in the V8 engine that could allow attackers to exploit memory handling, potentially leading to unexpected behavior or browser crashes.
The V8 JavaScript engine is the core component that executes all JavaScript code in Chrome.
Because it processes large amounts of user-supplied code from websites, even minor logic errors can have serious consequences.
Attackers could potentially trigger crashes, bypass security protections, or execute arbitrary code in certain conditions.
A security researcher using the handle 303f06e3 discovered and reported this vulnerability on November 3, 2025.
Google has restricted public access to the technical details until most users receive the patch.
This responsible disclosure approach prevents attackers from analyzing the fix and creating exploits before users are protected.
Google has thanked the researcher and acknowledged their contribution through its Chrome Vulnerability Reward Program, though the specific reward amount has not been announced.
Chrome’s automatic update feature ensures that devices receive security patches without requiring manual intervention.
However, experts recommend restarting your browser regularly to ensure updates are applied promptly.
To check your current Chrome version, navigate to Settings → Help → About Google Chrome. This page automatically checks for updates and applies them if available.
The Chrome security team uses multiple automated testing and fuzzing tools to identify vulnerabilities, including AddressSanitizer, MemorySanitizer, UndefinedBehaviorSanitizer, Control Flow Integrity, libFuzzer, and AFL.
These tools detect memory errors and programming flaws before attackers can exploit them in the wild.
This release continues Google’s commitment to maintaining Chrome’s security for billions of users worldwide.
For developers and security analysts who want to review all changes, the official build log is available on Chromium’s code repository.
Users who want early access to upcoming versions can switch to Chrome’s Beta or Dev channels on the Chromium website.
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