CVE-2026-17696 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 07/30/2026
Side-channel information leakage in Media in Google Chrome prior to 151.0.7922.72 allowed a remote attacker to leak cross-origin data via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: High)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/30/2026
This vulnerability represents a critical side-channel information leakage issue within Google Chrome's media handling components that existed prior to version 151.0.7922.72. The flaw enabled remote attackers to extract cross-origin data through carefully constructed HTML pages, fundamentally compromising the browser's security boundaries and potentially exposing sensitive information across different origins. The vulnerability falls under the broader category of side-channel attacks where an attacker exploits indirect information flows rather than direct exploitation techniques.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient isolation mechanisms within Chrome's media processing pipeline, particularly in how the browser handles multimedia content and maintains cross-origin security boundaries. When processing crafted HTML pages containing malicious media elements, the affected Chrome versions failed to properly enforce same-origin policies, allowing attackers to observe timing variations or other indirect information channels that could reveal data from different origins. This type of vulnerability typically manifests through cache timing attacks, memory access patterns, or other observable behaviors that leak information across security domains.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it allows remote attackers to perform cross-origin data exfiltration without requiring traditional exploitation vectors such as code execution or privilege escalation. Attackers could craft malicious web pages that, when viewed by victims using vulnerable Chrome versions, would enable the leakage of sensitive information including but not limited to user credentials, session tokens, personal data, or other confidential information stored in different origins. The high severity classification reflects the potential for widespread exploitation and the ease with which attackers could leverage this flaw without requiring physical access or complex attack chains.
This vulnerability aligns with several cybersecurity frameworks and threat models, particularly those addressing side-channel attacks as outlined in the CWE database under category CWE-203, which specifically addresses "Observable Behavioral Vulnerability." The attack pattern corresponds to techniques found in the MITRE ATT&CK framework within the T1059.001 sub-technique for Command and Scripting Interpreter, where attackers leverage browser-based scripting capabilities to execute malicious code that exploits information leakage vulnerabilities. The flaw also relates to T1566.002 for Phishing with Social Engineering Techniques, as attackers could craft convincing phishing pages that exploit this vulnerability to extract sensitive data.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching of Chrome installations to version 151.0.7922.72 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes to properly isolate media processing components and enforce cross-origin security boundaries. Organizations should also implement network-level monitoring to detect suspicious patterns in browser behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts, along with regular security assessments of web applications to ensure proper implementation of security controls. Additionally, browser hardening measures including disabling unnecessary media features, implementing strict Content Security Policies, and maintaining up-to-date security configurations can help reduce the attack surface and prevent exploitation of similar vulnerabilities.