Google has finally released details of no fewer than 79 security issues affecting the Chrome web browser across Android, Linux, macOS and Windows, following a May 12 announcement that more information would be coming shortly. That information includes the fact that a total of 14 of these security vulnerabilities have a severity rating of critical. Fixing them as soon as possible is, of course, a given. But with a warning that the relevant Google Chrome security update will be rolling out to users soon, rather than immediately, how can you best do that? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered: here are your Chrome update options, including the all-important method to jump the queue and get that vital browser protection right now.

How To Fix Google Chrome Right Now Instead Of Waiting For The Update To Reach You

Some Google security issues are not easy to fix, as has become all too obvious this week. On May 12, I reported how a dangerous architectural flaw was leaving Gmail users at risk of attack without an obvious fix, and just yesterday I revealed how Google has said it won’t fix an Android 16 VPN bypass vulnerability. Thankfully, it’s a lot easier to get protected from new security issues if you are a Chrome browser user.

Google regularly updates Chrome when security vulnerabilities have been disclosed, the latest being detailed in a May 12 posting Google’s Srinivas Sista. It took a couple of days for the reason for that update to become apparent; however, with details of 79 security vulnerabilities, yes, you read that right, being added on May 15. Of these, a total of 14 of the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures have been given a Common Vulnerability Scoring System severity rating of critical, which is almost as bad as it can get. It could only be worse if any were being actively exploited by attackers already, so-called zero-day exploits , but none have been labeled as such. There is, however, a caveat here: the updates “will roll out over the coming days/weeks,” Sista confirmed .

The good news is that Chrome will automatically update as soon as the update reaches you, and you will be protected once the browser is restarted. The better news is that you can avoid any delay and jump the queue using this really simple method:

  • In your browser, click on the three-dot menu and select Help|About Google Chrome.
  • This will kickstart the security update process and begin downloading the new version. In the current case, this will bring your Chrome browser to version 148.0.7778.167/168.
  • Once the download has been installed, follow the instructions to restart your browser, as this is necessary to activate the protections. Don’t worry, your open tabs should be saved and will reopen when you restart.

The 14 CVEs, that earned security researchers a total of $68,000 in bug bounty reward payments for responsible disclosure to Google, are listed as follows:

  1. CVE-2026-8509: Heap buffer overflow in WebML
  2. CVE-2026-8510: Integer overflow in Skia.
  3. CVE-2026-8511: Use after free in UI.
  4. CVE-2026-8512: Use after free in FileSystem.
  5. CVE-2026-8513: Use after free in Input.
  6. CVE-2026-8514: Use after free in Aura.
  7. CVE-2026-8515: Use after free in HID.
  8. CVE-2026-8516: Insufficient validation of untrusted input in DataTransfer.
  9. CVE-2026-8517: Object lifecycle issue in WebShare.
  10. CVE-2026-8518: Use after free in Blink.
  11. CVE-2026-8519: Integer overflow in ANGLE.
  12. CVE-2026-8520: Race in Payments.
  13. CVE-2026-8521: Use after free in Tab Groups.
  14. CVE-2026-8522: Use after free in Downloads.

You can find similarly limited details of all 79 security issues in the official Chrome security update announcement . Google says that it restricts access to vulnerability details and links “until a majority of users are updated with a fix.” Talking of which, now go and follow the steps listed earlier in this article and make sure that you are one of them.