Chrome Emergency Fix: High-Severity V8 Flaw (CVE-2025-13042) Risks Remote Code Execution Update

Key Findings

• Google has released an emergency security update for Chrome Stable Channel, addressing a high-severity vulnerability in the V8 JavaScript engine (CVE-2025-13042)

• The vulnerability, described as an "inappropriate implementation in V8", could potentially lead to type confusion, memory corruption, or arbitrary code execution

• While no active exploitation is reported, V8 flaws have historically been targeted by threat actors for zero-day exploits in spear-phishing and watering hole attacks

• The update is rolling out to Chrome 142.0.7444.162/.163 on Windows, macOS, and Linux over the coming days and weeks

Background

The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-13042, lies in V8, Chrome's open-source JavaScript and WebAssembly engine responsible for executing code within webpages. Google has not disclosed detailed technical information about the flaw, citing ongoing rollout and dependency on third-party libraries. However, past V8 vulnerabilities of similar nature have been exploited to achieve sandbox escapes or remote code execution through maliciously crafted web content.

Impact

While Google did not provide specifics, the "inappropriate implementation in V8" suggests a flaw in how the engine handles certain operations or object types, potentially leading to type confusion, memory corruption, or arbitrary code execution. Such vulnerabilities in Chrome's V8 engine have historically been high-value targets for threat actors, especially for zero-day exploits used in spear-phishing and watering hole attacks.

Remediation

The update to Chrome 142.0.7444.162/.163 is rolling out to users over the coming days and weeks for Windows, Mac, and Linux desktops. Users should take the following steps immediately:

• Open Chrome and navigate to chrome://settings/help

• Verify that the browser version is 142.0.7444.162 or higher

• If not, manually trigger an update and restart the browser

Related Posts

• Google Chrome Patches Three High-Severity Flaws in V8 Engine

• Chrome Update Alert: Two High-Severity Flaws Patched – Update Now to Stay Safe!

• Google Rolls Out Chrome 142 Patching 20 Security Flaws

• Chrome Emergency Fix: Three High-Severity Flaws in WebGPU and V8 Engine Risk RCE

• Chrome 141 Stable Channel Update Patches High-Severity Vulnerabilities (CVE-2025-11205 & CVE-2025-11206)

Sources

• https://securityonline.info/chrome-emergency-fix-high-severity-v8-flaw-cve-2025-13042-risks-remote-code-execution/

• https://x.com/__kokumoto/status/1988449455998460136