CVE-2026-17711 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 07/30/2026
Race in Downloads in Google Chrome on Mac prior to 151.0.7922.72 allowed a remote attacker who had compromised the renderer process to potentially perform a sandbox escape 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 race condition flaw in Google Chrome's download handling mechanism on macOS systems prior to version 151.0.7922.72. The issue stems from improper synchronization between different threads or processes during the download initiation and processing phases, creating a temporal window where malicious code can exploit the system's behavior. The vulnerability falls under the category of sandbox escape attacks, which represent one of the most serious threats to browser security models.
The technical implementation of this race condition occurs within Chrome's renderer process architecture where multiple threads handle different aspects of download operations simultaneously. When a crafted HTML page triggers a download request, the timing of various system calls and memory management operations creates an opportunity for exploitation. Attackers who have already compromised the renderer process through separate means can leverage this timing gap to escalate their privileges beyond the intended sandbox boundaries. The vulnerability specifically affects macOS implementations and demonstrates the complexity of maintaining secure multi-threaded operations in browser environments.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability allows attackers to bypass Chrome's security model that isolates renderer processes from the underlying operating system. The exploitation chain typically begins with a successful renderer compromise through phishing or drive-by download attacks, followed by leveraging this race condition to gain access to system resources that should remain restricted. This can potentially lead to full system compromise, as the attacker gains the ability to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges while maintaining stealth within the browser environment.
The attack vector relies heavily on the attacker's ability to first compromise the renderer process through other means, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where users encounter malicious websites or content. The Chromium security severity rating of High indicates that this flaw poses significant risk to user data and system integrity. This type of vulnerability is often categorized under CWE-367 when it involves time-of-check to time-of-use conditions, representing a classic race condition attack pattern.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability involve upgrading to Chrome version 151.0.7922.72 or later, which includes proper synchronization mechanisms to eliminate the race condition window. Additionally, organizations should implement comprehensive browser hardening measures including strict content security policies, sandboxing configurations, and regular security updates across all client systems. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls and browser isolation technologies can provide additional defense in depth. The remediation process also requires careful monitoring of system logs for potential exploitation attempts and maintaining current threat intelligence feeds to identify related attack patterns that may target similar vulnerabilities in other browser implementations.