CVE-2026-3542
Google Chrome ≤ 145.0.7632.159
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2026-3542 is a high-severity Improper Access Control (CWE-284) vulnerability in Google Chrome. Its CVSS base score is 8.8 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Drive-by Compromise (T1189); ranked at the 23th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SI-2 (Flaw Remediation) and SC-39 (Process Isolation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2026-3542 stems from an inappropriate implementation in the WebAssembly component of Google Chrome prior to version 145.0.7632.159. This flaw enables a remote attacker to perform out-of-bounds memory access through a crafted HTML page. The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) and is associated with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control). Chromium security severity is rated as High.
A remote attacker without privileges can exploit this issue by luring a user to interact with (e.g., visit) a malicious site hosting the crafted HTML page, triggering the out-of-bounds memory access in WebAssembly. Exploitation requires user interaction but no authentication, allowing high-impact consequences on confidentiality, integrity, and availability within the affected browser context.
Mitigation is available via updating Google Chrome to version 145.0.7632.159 or later, as detailed in the stable channel update. Additional information appears in the Chrome Releases blog post at https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2026/03/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html and the Chromium issue tracker at https://issues.chromium.org/issues/485152421.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-9490
Vulnerability Data
Inappropriate implementation in WebAssembly in Google Chrome prior to 145.0.7632.159 allowed a remote attacker to perform out of bounds memory access via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: High)
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
OOB memory access in Chrome WebAssembly via crafted HTML enables drive-by compromise through malicious site visits (T1189) and direct client-side code execution exploitation (T1203).
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Mandates timely remediation of the WebAssembly implementation flaw in Chrome via patching to version 145.0.7632.159 or later, directly eliminating the out-of-bounds memory access vulnerability.
Enforces memory protection mechanisms that mitigate unauthorized out-of-bounds memory access triggered by the crafted HTML page in WebAssembly.
Provides process isolation in the browser to limit the impact of memory corruption from the WebAssembly vulnerability within the renderer process.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
PR.AA-05 directly enforces policy-based access management and least privilege, eliminating most improper-access-control defects, yet CWE-284 also covers implementation flaws and design gaps outside a single management control.
Hardened baselines and deviation monitoring directly eliminate most configuration-induced access-control defects, yet CWE-284 also encompasses code-level and design flaws outside the scope of configuration management alone.
Secure SDLC practices catch most access-control defects during design/coding/testing (mostly), yet leave residual risk from runtime configuration, architecture, and operational controls (partial).
PR.AA-01 supplies managed identities/credentials that support but do not implement access-control decisions, so it only partially prevents CWE-284 in either direction.
Authentication directly blocks unauthenticated actors (partial prevention of CWE-284) but leaves authorization logic, policy enforcement, and role checks untouched, so the control neither eliminates nor fully mitigates the broader weakness.
PR.DS-01 encryption mitigates impact of failed access checks on stored data but neither implements nor constrains access-control logic itself.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Defining and enforcing explicit access rights and restrictions for each entity directly stops the assignment of permissions that exceed what is required, eliminating the root condition that allows improper access control.
Formal authorization, role-based provisioning, and timely revocation of access rights directly stop the creation of accounts or permissions that exceed what the business actually needs.
By enforcing explicit rules on which identities or groups may perform read, write, delete or execute operations and by denying anonymous access to sensitive data, the control directly stops the creation of overly permissive or missing access-control checks.
Requiring one-to-one mapping of identities to entities and timely removal of unused identities directly stops attackers from leveraging stale or shared accounts to bypass access restrictions.
By explicitly transferring security roles and responsibilities when personnel change jobs or leave, the control reduces the chance that former employees retain access rights they no longer need, thereby limiting improper access control.
Physical entry controls enforce explicit authorization and authentication at every access point, directly stopping unauthorized actors from reaching information-processing assets.