# CVE-2026-16421: Code injection in Chrome

> A remote attacker can execute arbitrary code inside the sandbox via a crafted HTML page due to an inappropriate implementation in WebAudio.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 21 Jul 2026
- **Updated:** 24 Jul 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2026-16421, ECHO-f972-9d46-9a1b, GHSA-jmgx-g6r2-c5f2, MINI-8wwx-9495-pcpj

## What is CVE-2026-16421?

CVE-2026-16421 is a high-severity code injection vulnerability in Google Chrome, published on 21 Jul 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Inappropriate implementation in WebAudio in Google Chrome prior to 150.0.7871.182 allowed a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code inside a sandbox via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: High)

Weakness: CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-16421?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Google Chrome.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-16421?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2026-16421 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-16421 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Google Chrome

- [CVE-2022-4135](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-4135/): Google Chromium GPU Heap Buffer Overflow (critical 9.6, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2020-16017](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-16017/): Google Chrome Use-After-Free (critical 9.6, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2020-16010](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-16010/): Google Chrome for Android UI Heap Buffer Overflow (critical 9.6, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-87491](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-87491/): Google Chromium V8 Out of Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-85046](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-85046/): Google Chromium V8 Type Confusion (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-16421 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-16421 is a high-severity code injection vulnerability in Google Chrome, published on 21 Jul 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-16421 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Google Chrome. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-16421/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-16421/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-16421
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-16421
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-16421

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-16421/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.