CVE-2026-121047 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 11/03/2026
Buffer overflow in Media in Google Chrome prior to 157.0.8103.38 allowed a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code inside the sandbox via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: High)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/03/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-9680 represents a critical memory safety failure within the media processing subsystem of Google Chrome, specifically affecting versions prior to 157.0.8103.38. This flaw is classified as a buffer overflow, which occurs when a program writes data beyond the boundaries of a fixed-size buffer in its allocated memory space. In the context of web browsers, such vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous because they reside within components that handle untrusted input from the internet, specifically media files embedded or referenced via HTML pages. The Chromium project has assigned this issue a High security severity rating, reflecting its potential for significant exploitation and impact on system integrity.
The technical root cause lies in improper bounds checking during the parsing or decoding of multimedia content. When Chrome processes specific types of media data contained within a crafted HTML page, it fails to validate that incoming data fits within the pre-allocated memory buffer designated for handling that stream. This lack of validation allows an attacker to supply oversized or malformed input that overwrites adjacent memory locations. In modern browser architectures like Chromium, this is especially perilous because browsers rely on sandboxing techniques to isolate web content from the underlying operating system and user data. A successful exploitation of a buffer overflow in such a context can allow code execution within the renderer process, potentially leading to escape from the sandbox if chained with other vulnerabilities or if specific mitigation bypasses are employed by sophisticated attackers.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability enables remote code execution without any user interaction beyond visiting a maliciously crafted website. An attacker could host a webpage containing specially constructed HTML and media elements designed to trigger the overflow when rendered by Chrome. Upon loading such a page, the browser would process the malformed data, leading to memory corruption that can be leveraged to execute arbitrary commands on the victim's machine. This capability effectively compromises the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system, as the attacker gains control over processes running under the user’s privileges. The impact is severe because it bypasses many traditional security controls that rely on preventing initial execution from untrusted sources.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-120, which describes buffer copy without checking size limits, a fundamental category of memory safety errors prevalent in C and C++ based software like Chromium. Furthermore, the exploitation path corresponds to ATT&CK technique T1189, Drive-by Compromise, where attackers exploit vulnerabilities in web browsers or plugins to install malware on target systems through simple visits to compromised websites. The attack vector is classified as remote with low complexity regarding user interaction, requiring only that a victim loads the malicious page, making it highly feasible for widespread distribution via phishing campaigns or drive-by download infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve immediate software updates. Users and administrators must upgrade Google Chrome to version 157.0.8103.38 or later, where this memory safety issue has been resolved through improved input validation and bounds checking mechanisms within the media handling code paths. For organizations unable to patch immediately due to compatibility concerns, network-level filtering can provide partial protection by blocking access to known malicious domains hosting exploit kits or suspicious media files. Additionally, enabling Chrome’s built-in sandboxing features ensures that even if an overflow occurs, the potential damage is contained within a restricted environment rather than granting full system control. Regular security audits and static analysis of browser extensions are also recommended to minimize the attack surface associated with third-party code execution within the browser context.