CVE-2026-76018 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 08/21/2026
Privilege elevation in Import in Google Chrome prior to 151.0.7922.173 allowed a remote attacker leveraging social engineering to potentially execute arbitrary code outside the sandbox via a crafted file. (Chromium security severity: High)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/21/2026
The vulnerability identified as a privilege elevation flaw within Google Chrome's import functionality represents a significant security risk that allows for potential execution of arbitrary code outside the browser's standard sandbox environment. This issue was present in versions of Chromium prior to 151.0.7922.173 and is classified with high severity by the Chromium project. The core technical flaw lies in how the application handles files during import operations, specifically failing to adequately validate or sanitize input data before processing it within privileged contexts. This lack of rigorous boundary checking enables a remote attacker who successfully leverages social engineering techniques to trick a user into importing a crafted file to bypass security restrictions. By exploiting this misconfiguration, an adversary can escalate privileges from the restricted sandboxed environment where normal web content executes to a higher-privilege context that has broader access to system resources and files.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-269, which describes Improper Privilege Management, as it involves gaining elevated permissions without proper authorization checks during specific application operations. Furthermore, the attack vector is categorized under ATT&CK technique T1059, Command and Scripting Interpreter, because the ultimate goal of exploiting this flaw is to execute arbitrary commands or scripts on the victim's machine. The reliance on social engineering indicates that while the technical exploit chain may be automated once triggered, initial access requires human interaction, such as clicking a malicious link or opening an attachment disguised as legitimate content. This combination makes it particularly dangerous because users are often conditioned to trust import functions in browsers when dealing with known file types, lowering their vigilance against crafted payloads designed to trigger the vulnerability during the parsing phase of the import process.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, as successful exploitation results in arbitrary code execution on the target system. This means an attacker could install malware, steal sensitive data such as credentials or financial information, establish persistence mechanisms, or use the compromised device as a pivot point for further network attacks. The breach of the sandbox boundary effectively neutralizes one of Chrome's primary defense-in-depth strategies, leaving the underlying operating system exposed to direct manipulation by malicious actors. Organizations relying on this browser version are at significant risk if employees handle external files through import features without adequate security controls or awareness training regarding social engineering tactics.
To mitigate these risks, it is imperative that all systems running Google Chrome be updated immediately to version 151.0.7922.173 or later, where the flaw in the import logic has been addressed and validated by developers. In addition to patching, administrators should enforce strict application whitelisting policies to prevent unauthorized executables from running even if they bypass sandbox restrictions. User education programs focusing on recognizing social engineering attempts are also critical components of a defense strategy against this type of threat. Regular audits of browser configurations and monitoring for anomalous process creation events can help detect potential exploitation attempts in real-time, providing an additional layer of security while technical patches are deployed across the enterprise environment.