CVE-2026-118328 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 10/28/2026
Improper input validation in WebRTC in Google Chrome prior to 156.0.8078.73 allowed a remote attacker to potentially execute arbitrary code inside the sandbox via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: High)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/28/2026
The vulnerability identified as an improper input validation flaw within the WebRTC implementation of Google Chrome prior to version 156.0.8078.73 represents a significant risk to user safety and system integrity. This specific defect allows for remote code execution, which is classified under the Chromium security severity rating as High due to its potential impact on end-users who interact with malicious web content. The core issue stems from insufficient sanitization or type checking of data inputs processed by the WebRTC engine, a component responsible for real-time communication capabilities such as audio and video streaming directly within the browser environment. When an attacker crafts a specific HTML page containing malformed or specially constructed input parameters, they can exploit this validation gap to bypass expected boundaries imposed on memory operations or logical processing flows.
From a technical perspective, improper input validation often leads to buffer overflows, type confusion errors, or use-after-free conditions when the browser attempts to process untrusted data from external sources. In the context of WebRTC, which involves complex interactions with underlying system APIs and native code components via bindings like V8 JavaScript engine interfaces, malformed inputs can corrupt memory structures or manipulate control flow execution paths. An attacker leveraging this flaw could inject arbitrary commands that are executed within the browser's sandboxed environment. While modern browsers employ robust sandboxing mechanisms to limit the scope of damage from such exploits, successful exploitation may still allow an adversary to escape certain security constraints, access sensitive user data, install malware, or pivot further into a compromised network depending on the specific execution context and privilege levels granted to the browser process.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe because it can be triggered remotely without any prior interaction from the victim other than visiting a malicious webpage. This aligns with common attack vectors described in industry standards such as CWE-20, which defines Improper Input Validation as a failure to verify or inadequately verifies input data before processing. The ability to execute arbitrary code inside the sandbox also correlates with ATT&CK techniques related to client-side exploitation and potential privilege escalation if the sandbox boundaries are breached. Attackers can distribute these crafted pages through phishing campaigns, compromised websites, or drive-by download scenarios, making it a persistent threat vector for organizations relying on Chrome for secure web browsing and communication services.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve immediate patching by updating Google Chrome to version 156.0.8078.73 or later, where the input validation logic has been corrected to properly handle edge cases and malformed data structures. For environments where automatic updates are not feasible, administrators should enforce strict content security policies that restrict access to untrusted origins and disable unnecessary WebRTC features if real-time communication is not required for specific applications. Additionally, deploying endpoint detection and response solutions can help identify anomalous behavior resulting from exploitation attempts, such as unexpected network connections or process spawns originating from the browser executable. Regular vulnerability scanning and keeping all software components up to date remain critical defenses against this class of memory corruption and logic flaws prevalent in complex web browsers.