CVE-2026-17822 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 07/30/2026
Race in Chrome for iOS in Google Chrome on iOS prior to 151.0.7922.72 allowed a remote attacker to perform UI spoofing via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: Medium)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/30/2026
This vulnerability represents a race condition affecting Google Chrome for iOS versions prior to 151.0.7922.72, classified as a medium severity issue by Chromium security standards. The flaw occurs within the mobile browser's rendering engine and allows remote attackers to execute UI spoofing attacks through carefully crafted HTML pages. The race condition manifests during the processing of web content where timing dependencies between different browser components create opportunities for malicious actors to manipulate the user interface presentation.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper synchronization mechanisms within Chrome's iOS implementation, specifically related to how the browser handles concurrent operations during page rendering and user interface updates. When a malicious webpage is loaded, the race condition enables an attacker to exploit timing gaps between UI element creation, rendering, and display updates, potentially allowing them to overlay fraudulent interfaces over legitimate browser content.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to user security and trust within the mobile browsing environment. Users may be deceived into believing they are interacting with legitimate websites while actually engaging with spoofed interfaces designed to capture sensitive information or credentials. The attack vector requires only a malicious webpage delivered through standard web protocols, making it particularly dangerous as users can encounter these attacks during routine browsing activities without specialized security awareness training.
The vulnerability's impact aligns with CWE-367 weakness classification, which addresses time-of-check to time-of-use race conditions that occur when an attacker can manipulate system state between operations. This particular implementation also relates to ATT&CK technique T1531 for 'Account Access Removal' and T1059.001 for 'Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell' as the UI spoofing could be used to trick users into executing malicious commands or providing sensitive data through deceptive interface elements.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate deployment of Chrome for iOS version 151.0.7922.72 or later, which contains the necessary synchronization fixes for the race condition. Organizations should implement comprehensive browser security policies that include regular update management procedures and user awareness training about suspicious UI behaviors. Network administrators should consider implementing web filtering solutions that can detect and block known malicious domains, while security teams should monitor for any reported exploitation attempts targeting this specific vulnerability in their environments.
Additional protective measures include enabling Chrome's built-in security features such as sandboxing and content blocking mechanisms, while maintaining strict monitoring protocols for unusual browsing behavior or user interactions with potentially compromised websites. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of thorough testing for race conditions in multi-threaded browser environments, particularly on mobile platforms where resource constraints can exacerbate timing-related security issues.
This flaw highlights the ongoing challenges in securing complex web browser implementations where multiple concurrent processes must maintain proper synchronization while delivering responsive user experiences. The attack scenario represents a classic example of how seemingly minor implementation details in browser architecture can create significant security risks when proper temporal consistency mechanisms are not adequately implemented. Organizations should consider this vulnerability as part of broader mobile security assessments, particularly in environments where sensitive data handling occurs through mobile browsers.
The remediation process requires coordinated efforts between browser vendors and enterprise security teams to ensure complete deployment across all user devices. Security professionals should also monitor for related vulnerabilities that may emerge from similar race condition patterns within other browser components or mobile application frameworks. Regular security audits of mobile browser implementations should specifically test for timing-related issues that could create opportunities for similar UI manipulation attacks.
The vulnerability's classification as medium severity reflects the balance between exploitability requirements and potential impact, as it requires user interaction with malicious content but can result in significant information disclosure or system compromise when successfully executed. This characteristic places it within the category of vulnerabilities that require proactive management rather than passive monitoring, particularly in enterprise environments where mobile device security is critical to overall organizational security posture.
Organizations implementing security controls should consider this vulnerability as part of their broader threat modeling exercises for mobile browsing environments, ensuring that their incident response procedures include specific protocols for handling UI spoofing attacks. The remediation timeline and deployment strategy should account for the widespread nature of Chrome for iOS usage while maintaining appropriate risk mitigation measures during the transition period.
This particular race condition vulnerability underscores the complexity of modern browser security, where the interaction between multiple concurrent processes creates numerous potential attack surfaces that require careful attention to synchronization and temporal consistency requirements. The implementation details highlight the need for continuous security testing throughout the software development lifecycle, particularly in mobile environments where the combination of resource constraints and user expectations can create unique security challenges that differ significantly from traditional desktop computing environments.