CVE-2026-113051 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 10/21/2026
Memory corruption in CSS in Google Chrome prior to 156.0.8078.47 allowed a remote attacker to potentially read memory inside the sandbox via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: Medium)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/21/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-XXXX, affecting Google Chrome prior to version 156.0.8078.47, represents a critical failure in memory management within the Cascading Style Sheets CSS engine. This flaw allows for out-of-bounds read operations when processing specially crafted HTML content. The root cause lies in improper validation of array bounds or pointer arithmetic during the parsing and rendering phases of CSS rules. When a remote attacker hosts a malicious webpage containing specific, malformed style definitions, they can trigger an invalid memory access within the browser's sandboxed environment. This type of vulnerability is classified under CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read in standard security taxonomies, indicating that the application reads data beyond the intended buffer boundaries without proper checks to ensure the requested index or offset remains within allocated limits.
The operational impact of this memory corruption flaw extends beyond simple rendering errors. Because Chrome employs a multi-process architecture with strict sandboxing for renderer processes, the primary goal of such vulnerabilities is typically to escape these restrictions or gather sensitive information from adjacent memory spaces. In this specific instance, the ability to read arbitrary memory inside the sandbox enables an attacker to potentially exfiltrate data that should be isolated from web content. This could include session cookies, authentication tokens, private keys stored in browser storage, or other user-specific data residing in nearby memory allocations. The severity is rated as Medium by Chromium security teams because while it does not directly allow arbitrary code execution on the host system without further exploitation steps, it significantly compromises confidentiality and can serve as a stepping stone for more severe attacks if combined with other vulnerabilities or specific browser states.
From an offensive security perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1005: Data from Local System, specifically within the context of web-based exploits where attackers leverage memory disclosure to gather intelligence before proceeding to lateral movement or persistence mechanisms. The exploitation requires social engineering elements such as convincing a user to visit a malicious site or clicking on a crafted link. Once triggered, the browser processes the hostile CSS input, leading to the out-of-bounds read condition which leaks internal state information back to the attacker-controlled page via JavaScript APIs that can inspect memory contents indirectly through side channels or direct access if sandbox protections are bypassed in specific configurations.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily involve immediate software updates. Administrators and end-users must upgrade Google Chrome to version 156.0.8078.47 or later, where the underlying CSS parsing logic has been patched with stricter boundary checks and enhanced validation routines. Until patching is feasible, organizations should enforce strict content security policies that restrict inline styles and external style sources from untrusted domains. Additionally, deploying browser isolation solutions can mitigate risk by ensuring that even if a vulnerability is exploited within a renderer process, the impact on sensitive host resources remains contained. Regular monitoring of browser update notifications and automated patch management systems are essential to reduce the window of exposure for this class of memory corruption flaws in web browsers.