CVE-2026-113120 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 10/21/2026
Improper input validation in Media in Google Chrome prior to 156.0.8078.47 allowed a remote attacker to potentially execute arbitrary code 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 an improper input validation flaw within the media handling subsystem of Google Chrome prior to version 156.0.8078.47 represents a significant risk to user safety and system integrity. This issue stems from insufficient sanitization or boundary checking when processing multimedia content, specifically HTML pages that embed audio or video elements. When a remote attacker crafts an HTML page containing maliciously formatted media data, the browser's rendering engine fails to correctly validate the input parameters before passing them to lower-level components responsible for decoding and playback. This lack of rigorous validation allows malformed data structures to bypass expected constraints, leading to memory corruption or logic errors that can be exploited by a skilled adversary.
From a technical perspective, this flaw aligns with CWE-20 Improper Input Validation, where the software does not adequately verify that input meets specified requirements before processing it. In the context of browser engines like Chromium's Blink and WebKit components, media parsing often involves complex state machines and buffer management systems. If an attacker can manipulate these inputs to trigger out-of-bounds reads or writes, they may achieve arbitrary code execution within the renderer process sandbox. Although Chrome employs a multi-process architecture with strict sandboxes designed to limit the impact of such exploits, successful exploitation could allow the attacker to escape the sandbox boundary under certain conditions, particularly if combined with other vulnerabilities or through sophisticated heap spraying techniques that target specific memory allocation patterns in the media pipeline.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to its potential for remote code execution via a simple web page visit. An attacker does not need physical access or user interaction beyond loading the malicious URL, which can be delivered through phishing campaigns, compromised websites, or drive-by downloads. The Chromium security team has classified this issue with a Medium severity rating, reflecting the balance between exploitability and impact. While sandbox escape is not guaranteed in every instance of exploitation due to modern mitigations like Control Flow Integrity and DEP/NX protections, the ability to execute arbitrary code within the renderer process provides an attacker with significant capabilities to probe for further escalation vectors or exfiltrate sensitive data from tabs that may have higher privileges depending on their origin.
To mitigate this risk, users must upgrade Google Chrome immediately to version 156.0.8078.47 or later, where the input validation logic in the media subsystem has been hardened. Organizations should enforce automated update policies across all endpoints to ensure timely patching of browser vulnerabilities. Additionally, security teams can implement content security policies and sandbox attributes on embedded iframes to restrict how external resources are processed by the browser engine. Monitoring for unusual network activity or process behavior originating from Chrome processes may also help detect attempted exploitation in real-time. This incident underscores the importance of continuous vulnerability management and the critical role that robust input validation plays in preventing memory corruption attacks within complex software ecosystems like web browsers.